Jose Cortez

Colorado River Water Quality Control Board, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer

Jose Cortez is a graduate of Cal Poly SLO with a degree in Civil Engineering. Currently, he is a Senior Water Resource Control Engineer with the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Board. He has worked for the Regional Water Board for 19 years in various programs: TMDLs, NPDES, WDRs, Enforcement, DoD (CERCLA), and presently is the Land Disposal Unit Chief. In addition to water quality control, he has been involved in other special projects such as surface water monitoring, review and approval of IRWMP and Prop 1 funding proposals, and a collaborative effort with the local water agencies organizing a Drought Symposium. Prior to working in the water world, he worked as a field engineer with Walt Disney Imagineering on the Animal Kingdom, and later as a project manager on construction projects with a design build company. He has a great concern for the environment and is committed to working to institute change and reverse the drivers of climate change and environmental damage.