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With more than 30 years in water resource management and planning, Kirby Brill has come out of retirement to serve as interim general manager at Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA). The IEUA Board of Directors unanimously appointed Brill to the agency’s top management position at the board’s Dec. 14 meeting.
Brill retired in mid-2017 after having served for 17 years as general manager for Mojave Water Agency (MWA) based in Apple Valley. Although he began his career in the private sector he transitioned to the public sector when he took a position with the Orange County Water District (OCWD).
While at OCWD he oversaw the development of a basin-wide groundwater monitoring program. With more than 50 deep multi-level monitoring wells and a data collection system with computerized reporting tools the system still serves as the backbone of OCWD’s current groundwater basin management activities. He also led efforts to maximize the district’s ability to capture available water for artificial recharge in Orange County’s lower Santa Ana River.
Following his tenure OCWD Brill took on the challenge of cleaning up groundwater contamination in the San Gabriel Basin, then the largest Superfund site in the nation. While with the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority (SGBWQA), Brill first served as assistant executive director before assuming the position of executive director. There he managed the development and support for practical solutions to finance, construct and operate the groundwater contamination clean up. He led the effort to bring together local, state, and federal stakeholders and harnessed the collective capabilities and assets of the group for the benefit of the project.
Brill holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, with a minor in Geology as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Brill is a registered California Civil Engineer.
“We enthusiastically welcome Kirby as Interim General Manager for IEUA,” said IEUA Board President Steve Elie. “We are excited that someone of his stature will be heading this Agency as we begin the search for a new general manager. His extensive knowledge and experience in water, basin, and resource management will be incredibly valuable to the Board, staff and the region as a whole as we continue to lead the way with innovative programs that benefit the region and the environment.”
Kirby’s new role as interim general manager serves to replace IEUA’s General Manager Halla Razak who has resigned effective Dec. 31 due to family circumstances. The Chino-based IEUA distributes imported water, provides industrial/municipal wastewater collection and treatment services, and other related utility services to more than 875,000 people in a 242-square mile footprint. Its member agencies include the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario and Upland as well as Cucamonga Valley Water District, Fontana Water Company and Monte Vista Water District.
