John Helminski has spent more than four decades shaping Southern California’s water and energy infrastructure. From working with the City of San Diego on its multibillion dollar clean water project to leading major water system upgrades in Los Angeles for WSP, he has built a legacy of engineering excellence and leadership in the region’s vital water sector.
“John’s legacy goes far beyond the water plant and pipeline infrastructure,” says Peter S. Vroom, assistant director of San Diego’s Division of Environmental Monitoring and Technical Services. “What stands out to me is his ability to bring people from different departments, disciplines and perspectives together and align them with a shared purpose.”
Helminski’s path to project and program management began as a teenager in New Jersey, where he spent his early years working in building construction and carpentry, first in high school, then as a side job while in college. “This hands-on experience gave me a deep appreciation for how thoughtful design and skilled construction can improve people’s lives,” says Helminski.
“It laid the foundation for my interest in vertical construction and commercial and industrial projects that shaped the early part of my career.”
A key part of the $1.96 million first phase of the San Diego Clean Water Program was construction of the North City Clean Water Pumping Station and Facility, which was scheduled to be completed this year.
Photo courtesy of the City of San Diego
While studying at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, he interned at Turner Construction, which exposed him to the technical rigor and coordination required to deliver large projects. Turner hired Helminski full-time after graduation, but after a few years, he moved to Southern California and began working for the city of San Diego, where he handled large mechanical contracts for HVAC and chiller replacements at city facilities. He quickly gained a deep understanding of systems that directly impact indoor air quality, occupant safety, and facility resilience.
“The definitive change in my career came when I joined the city’s Metropolitan Wastewater Department,” he says. “This transition introduced me to the water sector and fundamentally changed how I saw the role of engineering in society. The water sector stands out because it ties engineering directly to public health, environmental management and quality of life.”
In the early 1990s, Helminski led multiple city projects, including building pump stations, rehabilitating aging pipes and installing new pipe systems. Upgrading treatment plants and supporting the operations of critical wastewater facilities have helped him recognize that “water projects have immediate consequences for disease prevention and ecosystem protection,” he says.
Bridging water resources and energy efficiency, Helminski represented San Diego as director of the renewable energy program at the Department of Environmental Services in 2001.
“Back then, renewable energy wasn’t mainstream [and] widely adopted solution that it is today,” he says. “Solar power was still expensive and public agencies were just beginning to explore alternative financing structures like power purchase agreements.”
Former US Congresswoman Susan Davis tours the San Diego Clean Water Project with Helminski.
Photo courtesy of John Helminski
unknown territory
He says that when he was part of the city’s first sustainability and renewable energy effort, “it required entering uncharted territory and helping the city think differently about how it managed energy in its most critical facilities.” He then spent time researching how power purchase agreements (PPAs) were being used in the private sector and translated those lessons into a framework that worked for a municipality.
“On a personal level, John was an exceptional mentor who taught me the value of thoughtful leadership [and] collaboration and knowing when to leverage external expertise to strengthen results.”
—Peter S. Vroom, Deputy Director of the City of San Diego’s Environmental Monitoring and Technical Services Division
This led to the implementation of two large-scale solar projects: a 1-megawatt photovoltaic array at the Alvarado water treatment facility and an 800-kilowatt array at the Otay water treatment facility. The Alvarado system produces 20% of the plant’s energy and currently saves the city approximately $1 million annually, while the Otay system saves approximately $100,000 annually. These projects were some of the first municipal power purchase agreements in the nation.
In 2014, Helminski became the assistant director of the Pure Water San Diego program. Phase 1, which is approximately 85 percent complete at an estimated cost of $1.96 billion, includes the North City Pure Water Facility and major pipeline infrastructure designed to produce 30 million gallons of purified water per day. The entire program, including Phase 2, is estimated to cost between $5 billion and $9 billion and aims to supply nearly 50 percent of the city’s drinking water locally by 2035.
Helminski says he quickly learned that engineering alone would not deliver a project of this scale.
“Pure water had to be built on partnerships with the public, environmental organizations, regulators and elected leaders,” he says. He saw Pure Water as a public outreach program before it was an engineering project. His role was to provide the vision, create the structure and guide the team through the complexity.
Keli Balo, deputy director of the San Diego Department of Public Services, says that when Helminski led the Clean Water Program, he organized coordination meetings that proactively invited stakeholders from across the city. Helminski made sure to include representation not only from technical and engineering staff, but also from operators, contract support staff and environmental technicians.
“Big projects are often led by a core group that is hyper-focused on the outcome, and sometimes that can alienate other team members,” says Balo. “This seemingly simple approach exemplifies John’s incredible inclusive leadership style.”
Solar panels at the San Diego Alvarado Water Treatment Facility produce one-fifth of the plant’s power.
Photo courtesy of the City of San Diego
Juan Carlos Guerreiro, director of the San Diego Department of Public Services, adds that the way Helminski organized Pure Water’s monthly coordination meetings for the billion-dollar project set the stage for success.
“He organized these routine meetings with over 20 attendees to make sure the subject matter experts were in one room together,” says Guerreiro. “This process allowed each team member to understand their role in a larger project and helped foster collaboration and communication.”
Helminski’s policy of always finding time for all project members was a sign of great leadership to Stantec program advisor Douglas M. Owen.
“When he wasn’t in his office, John would walk up to the program staff cubicles,” recalls Owen, who worked as a consulting program manager at Pure Water. “We always felt like a part of the town team. We didn’t feel like outsiders. John set that tone: a team for the program.”
“We always felt like a part of the town team. We didn’t feel like outsiders. John set that tone: a team for the program.”
—Douglas M. Owen, program advisor at Stantec and formerly pure water program manager
Vroom notes that Helminski’s legacy goes far beyond infrastructure.
“On a personal level, John was an exceptional mentor who taught me the value of thoughtful leadership [and] collaboration and knowing when to leverage outside expertise to strengthen outcomes,” says Vroom, who describes the “John Helminski brand” as a “generation of public servants who approach high-risk projects with rigor and humility.
In addition to the solar and pure water projects, Helminski led the effort to help San Diego develop its first LEED green building policy. This required all new facilities in the city to be designed to LEED Silver certification standards. He also developed an in-house training program for city engineers so they could understand and apply LEED criteria effectively.
Currently WSP’s senior vice president of water resources, Helminski is working with Los Angeles County Public Works to evaluate 15 pump stations to support the county’s capital improvement program. Additionally, as part of the Los Angeles Measure W initiative, WSP is providing a conceptual design for stormwater diversion, capture and reuse for community gardens. Helminski was the project manager who oversaw the project, which evaluated stormwater capture alternatives for multiple watersheds in Los Angeles and developed conceptual designs for watersheds that have the best topography for success.
Patti Boekamp, senior vice president of WSP, describes Helminski as a calm and steady leader who helps her team operate through adversity.
“He doesn’t panic. He’s a good communicator and people can talk to John about problems. He’s a strategic leader and helps his teams find solutions to keep moving the project through to completion,” says Boekamp.
Helminski brings his water systems expertise to WSP’s Southern California team.
Photo courtesy of John Helminski
What determines success
Helminski remains active in industry organizations such as the American Water Works Association and WaterReuse California. When mentoring young engineers, he emphasizes that technical challenges are rarely what determine success.
“It’s the people you work with: your customers, your team and your partners,” he says. He advises them to invest in relationships, listen to mentors and treat every interaction as part of their reputation.
As he looks back on his career and the projects and programs and thousands of decisions and late nights, he says it’s not a piece of infrastructure he remembers most.
“It’s the people. It’s the journey. It’s the teams I’ve had the privilege of working with and the collaboration that has made all these projects possible,” he says. “If this Legacy Award stands for anything, it stands for them. They are the ones who have made the work meaningful. They are the ones who will carry it forward. And that, to me, is the truest legacy you can leave.”
