California American Water welcomes Christy Baril as the newly promoted Director of Water Quality and Environmental Compliance. This CPUC-regulated water utility provides high-quality, reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 700,000 people statewide while adhering to strict water quality and environmental regulations. 

With vast education and water management experience, Baril is one of the growing number of women representing great achievements in STEM fields. Her responsibilities now include educating internal teams and customers on water quality, implementing environmental compliance programs and keeping up on evolving regulations to ensure safe and compliant water and wastewater services for customers throughout the state.

Baril has been driven by environmental stewardship after witnessing the struggle for drinkable water on an international trip as a teenager. In college, she studied marine biology and environmental engineering and, after college, analyzed marine tissue and water samples for pollutants. She then transitioned to assisting the manufacturing industry with environmental and stormwater compliance.

“California American Water works to improve our corner of the world through safe water service and environmental compliance and I love it.” — Christy Baril, Director of Water Quality and Environmental Compliance 

“I love this work, so I eagerly took a water quality and environmental compliance specialist position with California American Water in 2014 and since then have held positions in our water quality and environmental compliance, operations, rates and engineering departments,” says Baril. “California American Water works to improve our corner of the world through safe water service and environmental compliance and I love it.”

Baril collaborates across Cal Am’s departments to provide reliable, affordable services and says of her own team, “They are highly educated, passionate, caring and the absolute best at educating customers and coworkers on water quality issues and environmental compliance.” 

Baril’s team is currently working with Cal Am’s operations and engineering teams on treatment options for forever chemicals, PFAS, as well as Chromium VI. In 2017, Cal Am brought PFAS treatment to one of their Sacramento wells and is one of the first water companies in the state to have treatment online. 

Baril concludes, “I’m excited for the water industry’s anticipated regulatory changes, as they’re an opportunity for innovation. As safe water technology advances, I’m eager to utilize our economy of scale to deliver safe water to communities that might not otherwise afford it on their own.”