EMWD Appoints New General Manager

After a national search, Eastern Municipal Water District announced Monday the appointment of Paul D. Jones II as its new general manager effective July 25.

Jones, 52, will replace general manager Anthony J. Pack. Pack is retiring at age 66 after 21 years with the water agency, including the last 10 years as general manager and six years as deputy general manager.

Jones comes from Irvine Ranch Water District where he has served as general manager for the past 12 years, according to a news release. IRWD serves water to more than 320,000 central Orange County residents in an area encompassing 25 percent of the county.

EMWD serves 775,000 people who live and work in a 542-square mile area from Moreno Valley southward along the Interstate-215 corridor to Murrieta and Temecula and eastward to Hemet and San Jacinto. In addition to its own water customers, EMWD supplements water to six local water agencies and municipalities that have their own water departments.

“We searched nationally for someone to build on what Tony Pack and the District have been able to accomplish,” said Randy Record, EMWD’s director and representative on the Metropolitan Water District. “Paul Jones will be able to ramp up quickly because of his broad knowledge of water and wastewater, and his numerous contacts within the many agencies of Southern California."

Jones, a registered civil engineer, brings extensive experience in the water industry. Prior to his tenure at IRWD, Jones' experience includes posts as general manager of Central and West Basin Municipal Water Districts in Carson. Other water industry experience includes senior engineer and assistant to the general manager at Municipal Water District of Orange County.

Under his leadership, IRWD became known for diverse and highly reliable water supply and storage portfolios. While at IRWD he was instrumental in the development of creative urban runoff treatment programs and natural resource management at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. And similar to EMWD, IRWD has an extensive recycled water system.

“I am very pleased to be selected for the position of General Manager for EMWD,” said Jones. “EMWD is known and respected for its leadership in the water industry and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to become a member of their team.”

Jones is a member of the National Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi. Jones and his wife, Julie, reside in Orange with their four children.

Jones has also worked in private industry as a principal engineer for a private environmental engineering firm, John M. Tettemer and Associates. He was also director of regional infrastructure planning and manager of infrastructure project engineering with The Irvine Company.

Meanwhile, Pack’s expertise resulted in many significant accomplishments during his tenure at EMWD.

Pack successfully managed the fastest growth period in the history of EMWD at the height of the building boom.

He is credited with receiving state and federal agencies’ approvals for more than $108 million in grants and related funding and more than $276 million in low- or no-interest loans. These funds have helped provide for wetlands modifications, alternative energy, water management and development, feasibility studies, regulatory compliance projects, recycled water infrastructure and more.

Under Pack's leadership, a culture of continuous process improvement led to EMWD being the first public utility to receive the silver-level, California Award for Performance Excellence (CAPE) award in 2005.

He is also credited with supporting an environment of safety which resulted in EMWD being the first public agency to receive the CAL OSHA CalStar award for a superior safety culture in 1999.

He fostered a strong relationship with elected members at the state and federal level and testified before Congress multiple times on California water issues.

He developed leadership for an organization that has grown to nearly $2.5 billion in assets and has earned a AA credit rating.

Before joining EMWD as a project coordinator in 1990, Pack served more than 20 years with the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring from Camp Pendleton as a lieutenant colonel. He earned a master's degree in science from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut.

"As a result of Pack’s contributions, EMWD’s diversified water supply portfolio is able to serve approximately 755,000 people within its service area in an economical and efficient manner," EMWD stated in the news release.