ENGINEERING

Employ over 400 professional engineers and approximately 250 graduate-level engineers in a variety of engineering disciplines, including civil, electrical, mechanical, structural and architectural, with numerous specialties within their fields.

Study traffic concerns and recommend solutions to improve mobility on our congested local highways and streets. Administer numerous multi-jurisdictional Intelligent Transportation Systems projects, as well as continue to provide innovative traffic control devices; adopt traffic regulations; design traffic signals and advanced technology traffic signal coordination systems; provide alignment, signing, and striping of complex, nonstandard intersections while encompassing pedestrian safety issues, install street lighting; and review and analyze development projects to determine their impact and required traffic mitigation.

Administer the operation and maintenance of over 100,000 street lights in the unincorporated areas and various contract cities.

Perform hydrology and sedimentation studies; collect stream flow, precipitation, and evaporation data; forecast runoff; analyze flood flows and take well measurements; manage reservoirs, debris basins and disposal areas; and prepare maps of watersheds burned by brush fires and potential mud flow areas.

Develop and direct the operation of the County's dams, spreading grounds, and seawater barriers; gather and disseminate hydraulic and hydrological data; create hydrologic computer models and build physical hydraulic models; perform frequency analysis of rainfall and runoff; and perform studies and improvement planning on facilities under its direction.

Permit, check plans, inspect, and monitor industrial waste facilities and underground storage of hazardous materials for the County and a large number of the incorporated cities.

Design, check plans, and inspect roads, road improvements, bridges, bicycle trails, sewers, street lights, traffic signals, and flood control facilities and watersheds.

Monitor and analyze water quality for surface and underground water to protect County flood control and water conservation facilities and to prevent contamination of the County's groundwater resources.