DR. HAROLD BAILEY WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FROM WATER FOR PEOPLE

By Miriam Raftery

July 31, 2024 (San Diego’s East County)—Water for People, a global nonprofit, has presented its prestigious Kenneth J. Miller Founder’s Award for outstanding service to La Mesa resident Harold E. Bailey, Ph.D., P.E.  A registered civil engineer and former university instructor, Dr. Bailey has an impressive record of accomplishments for numerous local water-related organizations and agencies spanning more than four decades.

“As a past chair of the San Diego Water for People Committee who continues volunteering numerous hours serving on multiple event committees, and who has been a strong and consistent supporter of Water for People for over 15 years,” the organization’s award recommendation letter states, “Harold Bailey exemplifies outstanding service to Water for People’s mission of bringing clean water and sanitation to `everyone, forever’; he is well deserving of the Miller award.”

Dr. Bailey is current chair of the San Diego Water for People Committee and previously served as chair in 2016. He’s organized numerous fundraising events and participated in an impact tour to Peru in 2014, he told ECM, “where we interacted with small communities in the Andes foothills east of Trujillo in northern Peru who were in critical need of safe and reliable water supplies.” (Photo, right:  Dr. Harold Bailey at a school in Peru in 2014)

He has over 40 years of experience in engineering design, planning, water policy, laboratory operations and utility management. Dr. Bailey guided planning the water recycling program for the City of San Diego, planned water infrastructure for the Otay Ranch development, developed and managed a water testing laboratory, organized and chaired the Water Reuse Foundation’s Research Advisory Committee, and helped found the WaterReuse Association chapter in San Diego.

In East County, he directed operations and water quality for Padre Dam Municipal Water District and served as a La Mesa planning commissioner.  He has also been a volunteer at the Water Conservation Garden for over 12 years, including serving as past director and president for Friends of the Water Conservation Garden. A recent newsletter from the Water Conservation Garden praised Bailey as a “dedicated volunteer” and said of the latest award, “We couldn’t agree more!”

Dr. Bailey has an array of prior awards including an outstanding service award from the WaterReuse Association’s San Diego Chapter, a service recognition award from the Metro (San Diego area) Wastewater JPA, and more.

He received his Ph.D. degree in engineering from California Coast University.  He also holds a masters degree in civil engineering form the University of Arizona and a bachelor’s in industrial economics from Purdue University in Indiana.  He has also served as an instructor of water and wastewater programs at Cal State University in Sacaramento.

Water for People's Kenneth J. Miller Founder's Award, named after the nonprofit's first president, was established in 2001 to honor outstanding volunteer service to the cause of safe water and sanitation around the world.  The global nonprofit works acros nine countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa to address the global water crisis and equip communities with lasting access to clean water and santiation services for everyone.