ASPA engineer receives regional recognition — 2019 Young Water Professional

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Matamua Katrina Mariner was presented the 2019 Young Water Professional (YWP) Award at the 12th Pacific Water and Wastewater Association (PWWA) Conference and Expo in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Themed: “Smart Island Water”, this marks the second year in a row that an ASPA engineer has been awarded the YWP. Last year, Helen Pulou was named Young Water Professional.

(The YWP Award is the only regional intergovernmental award for young water professionals, a coveted recognition for young engineers in the area).

Mariner - originally from Salelologa, Savaii - is a hydrology officer, senior groundwater officer at the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA). She received her bachelor of science degree in environmental science from the University of Auckland in New Zealand after which she was employed as a hydrology officer at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) Water Resources Division (WRD) in Samoa.

Mariner later moved up as the senior groundwater officer, dealing with groundwater monitoring, technical and regulatory consultation, protection, and conservation.

In 2011, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) offered Mariner an award to pursue postgraduate studies in water resources at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodetic Science, at Leibniz University Hannover in Germany.

Upon her return to Samoa in 2013 - with a masters degree specializing in water resources management and sanitary engineering - Mariner was employed by the Samoa Water Authority (SWA) Planning and Design Unit for the Technical Project Coordination and Asset Management Division.

In 2014, she made a professional career move to American Samoa. She is currently employed as the Water and Well Systems Engineer with ASPA.

According to the 2019 PWWC handbook, “Working for ASPA has given Mariner the opportunity to pursue her passion and career aspiration, which is to develop professionally within the water and sanitation sector, and contribute to improving water development projects and infrastructure in a progressive and sustainable manner.”

A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

“Modern information and communications technologies have provided today’s societies with an array of innovative capabilities to solve several challenges related to resource efficiency, urbanization and population growth, climate variability and change and sustainable development,” said PWWA Chief Executive Officer, Pitolau Lusia Sefo Leau.

“Harnessing these technologies within the water sector creates more intelligent means for managing and protecting our region’s water resources and lays the foundation for a ‘water smart’ Pacific. The water industry of the future will be smart and energy efficient. As small, vulnerable islands of the vast Pacific, we need not reinvent the wheel; we should seek out what is available, and test new, robust systems, linking the physical and digital world to ensure tailored, water-smart solutions that cover various water management areas, cycles and value chains based on an integrated approach of all water changing conditions.”

She said the Young Water Professionals program, nurtures and builds the capacity of future leaders in the water sector of the Pacific.

According to her, the PWWA conference “is the only annual event for the water and wastewater sector for the Pacific islands, bringing together like-minded professionals, leaders in water and wastewater in the public and private sector, leaders in the political arena from across the Pacific – to share experiences and knowledge, learn from each other and build new relationships.”