The above link is for the Powerpoint Presentation of our Technical Proposal Project.

For this project, group 1 (Domenico Gioffre, Youseph Elmasry, Xavier Davis, and Christian San Jose) created a proposal for a plan to reduce the statistical likelihood of California wildfires through a system of irrigation. The proposal was designed to be presented to different agencies of California state government. The proposal consists of a large, detailed, and technical memo, and a powerpoint.

The memo is as such:

Operation Supersoaker Technical Project Proposal

Gioffre, Elmasry, Davis, Jose Plan Mini-Soak

Memo

To: Jared Blumenfeld, Secretary of California Environmental Protection Agency

CC: Gavin Newsom, Governor of California

Karla Nemeth, Director of the California Department of Water Resources

From: Wildfire Management Co.

Date: April 28, 2021

Subject: Project Proposal to Reduce the Risk of Wildfires in Pleasant Valley

The purpose of this memo is to discuss a proposal for a solution to California’s wildfires. As a team, we want to introduce ourselves to discuss our proposition and the future steps we would need to take.

Wildfire Management Co.

Wildfire Management Co. is a group of four mechanical engineers: Xavier Davis, Youseph Elmasry, Domenico Gioffre, and Christian San Jose. Our research focuses on finding the best solutions for dealing with wildfires. With our engineering background, we hope to combine technology with today’s current methods. While this would require a large initial investment, our plans aim to require minimal management afterwards.

Wildfire problem in California

In the United States, California is known to experience plenty of wildfires every year. Just last year, 10.3 acres of land were burned in California alone. The source of this problem is the dry climate during the summer months. Additionally, climate change causes temperature to reach new, record levels. The lack of moisture in the ground is what makes areas such as Day Valley prone to devastating fires.

Proposed Solution

Thus, as a test run, we would like permission to construct a pipeline for an irrigation system in a small area in Day Valley, California. The idea is to monitor the moisture of the ground and release water if it reaches a certain threshold. Our system will automatically increase the moisture levels, which will reduce the chance of a wildfire starting during the summer months.

Conclusion

The goal of our proposal is to reduce the number of wildfires that California experiences each year. Less wildfires mean less residents are forced to evacuate and less government spending to fight the fires. We are asking for permission to access Day Valley, California and for funding. The specifics are contained in the attached Project Proposal. If you would like to discuss our plans more, please contact us at wildfiremco@gmail.com or 917-123-4567.

Boilerplate

Wildfire Management Co. was founded in early 2021 with the purpose of reducing the likelihood of wildfires. It is composed of a team of Mechanical engineers who seek new methods for handling such disasters. Our current focus lies with California. With proper research and innovation, we hope to minimize the impact of the devastating fires on families and businesses.

Mission Statement

Our mission is simple: reduce the chances of a wildfire from sparking in the first place. Seeing the recent wildfires that have plagued California in recent years, we wanted to help in any way we could. As engineering students, we’re ready to take on the wildfires by investing in a solution year round, giving us a head start to moisturize the Californian soil before the hot summer days which literally boil the ground. Relying on local bright minds, we will empower Californians to take on the heavy task head-on.

Code of Conduct

This code is to be followed by all employees of Wildfire Management Co. with the purpose of maintaining a professional and safe work environment.

I. Professionalism:

1. With tight time schedules, everyone must prioritize attendance. Missing work days without proper notice will result in disciplinary actions.
2. All employees are expected to act respectful to others in the company. A big part of this project requires teamwork and collaboration, so maintaining good relationships are essential to success.
3. All employees are expected to adhere to all policies, including the Dress Code which will be discussed below.

II. Integrity:

The ideas and intellectual properties of the company may not be shared with the public unless authorized. Additionally, all research conducted and ideas proposed are true and original.

III. Dress Code:

• All researchers on lab duty are mandated to wear the appropriate safety attire, including but not limited to Lab Coats and Safety Goggles.
• Company identification is mandatory for security clearance.
• All employees, irrespective of vaccination status, must wear the provided N95 Masks. In light of the current pandemic, failure to do so will not be tolerated and will result in immediate termination. Exceptions will be granted in the common moments that a mask must be lifted such as when eating, drinking, etc.

IV. Disciplinary Action:

Inappropriate behavior, lack of professionalism, and a violation of ethics will result in some form of disciplinary action, including suspension and resignation.

Any forms of harassment and discrimination involving gender, race, sexual orientation, and religion are not tolerated.

Managing California Wildfires through Soil Moisture during Summer Months

Project Mini-soak

to be presented on 5/2/2021

To:

California State Fire Prevention

CAL Fire

Deputy of the Governor’s Office

From: Wildfire Management Co.

Domenico Gioffre, Mechanical Engineer

Youseph Elmasry, Mechanical Engineer

Xavier Davis, Mechanical Engineer

Christian Jose, Mechanical Engineer

This proposal is submitted to California State Fire Prevention, CAL FIRE, and the Deputy of the Governor’s Office.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION………………….…………………………………………………………….……………2

1.1 Problem Statement……………………………………………………………………….….…………….3

1.2 Background…………………………………………………………………………….………….………3

1.3 Needs Statement…..……………………………………………………………………….………………3

1.4 Objective………………………………………………………………………………….……………….3

2. PROPOSED TECHNICAL APPROACH………………………………….………………………………..4

2.1 Explaining the Approach……….………………………………………………………………………..4

2.2 Location and Time of Mini-Soak………………………………………………………………………..4

2.3 System Design…………………………………………………………………………………………….5

2.4 Implementation…………………………..……………………………………………………………….7

3. EXPECTED PROJECT RESULTS………………………………………………………………………….8

3.1 Overview………..………………………….…………………………………………………….8

3.2 Measures of Success……………………………………………………………………………………….8

4. SCHEDULE…………………………………………………………………………………………………..8

5. BUDGET………………………………………………………………………………………………………9

1. Introduction:

California has had two successive wildfires in 2018 and 2019, with 2020 and 2021 being close behind. Governor Newsom has announced the funding of 536 million dollars towards fire prevention and risk mitigation, more than double what the state has done in the past (California Government, 2021). A significant amount of this raised funding is to go to Forest Health Projects. Governor Newsoms office has said many times that Climate Change is in part due to this uptick in California fires. The warmer temperatures lead to an environment devoid of moisture, providing excellent tinder (BBC, 2020).

The cost of Governor Newson’s initiative seems expensive, but pales in comparison to the cost of fire damage. In 2018, California faced 102.6 billion dollars in wildfire damage, roughly 0.5% of the annual GDP of the United States (Corry, 2020).

We have a plan that is in line with Governor Newsom’s stated objectives, namely making the terrain as fire retardant as possible. One of the keys to reducing the likelihood that a fire will break out in a certain area is hydration of the soil. Hydrated soil leads to plants that are properly rooted, and plants that are hydrated as opposed to being dry on the inside. Dry vegetation takes significantly longer to burn, if it even catches. To visualize this, recall burning moist wood versus burning wood that has been left to dry out. The latter burns almost instantly.

The object of Operation Supersoaker is to establish a statewide system of irrigation that maintains a suitable level of hydration in the soil around the state. The systems employed to achieve this aim will vary, but the vast majority will use simple irrigation channels, as these are cheap and easiest to maintain.

But before beginning Operation Supersoaker we need to first establish that these tactics are correct and that the principle that governs our strategic plans are sound: enter Plan Mini-soak. Mini-soak is essentially a scaled down version of Operation Supersoaker. It involved setting up a hydration system in a relatively small area, and then monitoring the occurrence and duration of fires in that area over the next two years. If there is a noticeable decrease when compared to CAL FIRE’s records, we can then determine that the plan works as it should. After that, we can then move on to the rest of the region, then ultimately the state.

Plan Mini-soak also has another aim. In all major undertakings, the original plan never survives first contact with the task at hand. In other words, unforeseen obstacles always arise, and changes are made to the plan. Logically, it is best to work these kinks out when the project is relatively small, such as in Plan Mini-soak.

The location we wish to use is in Day Valley. This location is adequate as it frequently hosts fires according to CAL FIRE’s records, which will ensure that we have adequate data to conclude the effectiveness of the strategy (CAL FIRE, n.d.). Furthermore, Day Valley intersects a highway which runs into the city of Watsonville only a few miles south, allowing logistical support to be easily accessible. Furthermore, there are plenty of small roads, making construction simple.

Operation Supersoaker will help fulfill the aims of Governor Newson. This plan is affordable, and robust.

1.1 Problem Statement:

The state of California recognizes the impending risks associated with rising temperatures and wildfires. The state has experienced a series of fires that have spread too quickly, and started too easily. These fires can barely be contained, much less extinguished. We are providing a cost effective way of reducing the risk of fire outbreak, and slowing the spread of fires that move into areas with our irrigation systems.

1.2 Background:

Currently, with the help of the U.S. Forest Service, California’s government plans to reduce the intensity of wildfires with the prescribed burning of 1 million acres each year. This is the process in which specialists purposefully light small portions of a forest on fire to reduce the amount of fuel for wildfires as well as encourage growth for plants and trees (USDA Forest Service, n.d.). In the event that a wildfire does break out, California’s firefighters resort to fighting them directly with water or fire retardant chemicals (Jordan, 2019).

1.3 Needs Statement:

This project does not seek to replace prescribed burning, but rather act as a supplement to prevent unintentional and destructive wildfires. When firefighters battle out of control wildfires, they use hundreds of gallons per minute. Their chemical-laden fire retardants also contaminate California’s clean water supply, killing wildlife and threatening the health of its residents. Our technical approach will reduce California’s water consumption towards fighting wildfires and reliance on these chemicals by reducing the risk of wildfires in the first place.

1.4 Objectives:

The purpose of this proposal is to obtain permission to construct our irrigation system in the Day Valley area as well as a grant to cover our materials and labor costs. Since our system requires the use of water sources from the surrounding towns, we will also obtain permission from their elected officials to direct water towards our pipelines. The insurance that a wildfire will not drive out the residents of this town outweighs the occasional increase, albeit small, in water consumption.If our results prove that an irrigation system reduces unintentional fires in a small portion of land, our team plans to implement it in other high-risk areas.

2. Proposed Technical Approach

2.1 Explaining the Approach:

Operation Supersoaker, and likewise Plan Mini-soak, are based on a simple objective: to keep the soil moist. Though this sounds rather simplistic, it makes a lot of sense. One of the main reasons that wildfires get out of control is that the landscape becomes extremely dry and absent of any moisture during the hot and rain-absent summer months in California, killing vegetation and leaving dirt arid. As a result, there is plenty of fuel to add to the fire if a wildfire is to spark, causing fires to get out of control.

Our project reasons that if the soil can remain moist during the summer, vegetation will also remain alive and both will be more difficult to burn (Korry et. al.). Thus, an area of moisture should not exhibit the same wildfire spread as an area with no moisture.

2.2 Location and Time of Mini-soak:

Location:

Day Valley, California

This region is more inhabited than the other wildfire locations and has its water distribution system in place which we can utilize to lower our workload in collecting water, (CDWR, n.d.).We will use an acre of public land located in Day Valley north of the city of Watsonville, adjacent to Hames road and across the Silva Orchard. Because it is the state’s land, we do not need the authorization of any other party after having received the approval of governor Newsom.

Day Valley, California (Google Maps).

We selected this location as it was previously severely damaged by the Freedom fire that took place in January 2021, and if we are able to keep the soil moist through the summer months, we can help bring the area back to life while testing out our project. We will complete the project on an acre of land, a little less than half a football field. This landmass is small enough to fit within the state’s area in that location, which is surrounded by private property, but big enough to simulate the challenges of irrigating a large landmass.

Time:

To decide upon the time to run our test, specifically to irrigate the soil and keep it moist, we have referenced the area’s annual temperature and observed precipitation trends. This will show us what the relationship between the increasing heat and the precipitation is, and pinpoint a time that we expect the land to become very dry and needing moisture to reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfire spread should another fire break out. The rain season in California begins in December and is concentrated in January and February, usually ending in February, but can extend into March. The temperature reaches 40 degrees celsius by May, which is a shot up from the month before. This indicates a significant lapse rate between the two months which can change the local climate, providing a clue as to when to begin irrigating.

Figure 1: 4-year monthly minimum recorded temperatures in Central Coastal California (NOAA)

Precipitation near our test area tends to become very limited by May, so we intend to begin irrigating in May. We were unable to retrieve Precipitation data over our exact location as the National Weather Service does not cover it, and the closest area which was available was Watsonville. Nonetheless, Watsonville is only fifteen miles away and weather patterns tend to be regional, so the data at Watsonville can give us a good idea of the rainfall at our test site.

As seen in the chart below, the precipitation data accurately represents the climate patterns, that rain tends to fall a lot at the beginning of the year and drastically decreases. In recent years, the weather precipitation was observed to severely decrease in quantity by May, which corresponds to the above trend of drastic temperature increase by May.

Knowing this, we propose to begin the irrigation process around May, though the actual date we begin will depend on the conditions that are present at our scheduled time to begin the test.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	April	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
2017	12.39	9.76	3.18	3	0.06	0.08	0	0	0.13	0.05	2	NA
2018	3.30	0.20	7.25	2.06	0.04	0	0.02	0	0	0.10	3.70	2.65
2019	5.23	7.38	5.06	0.38	1.86	0.08	0.01	0.02	0.01	0	0.56	10.08
2020	1.93	0	3.75	3.01	0.82	0.03	0	0	0	0	1.18	1.91

Figure 2: Precipitation Data in Inches based on Watsonville, California (NOAA)

2.3 System Design: Figure 3: Infrastructure Plan Diagram

Infrastructure:

The system will receive water from the Silva Orchard, less than a mile away. The estimated distance of the mainline, shown in grey, is a third of a mile. The irrigation lines shown are part of a drip irrigation system that will be separately measured per the needs of the acre. The system will provide each square foot of the acre with 125 gallons of water, in order to keep the entirety of the acre an inch thick of water (MacKenzie, 2018). As seen,

the mainline flows from the Silva Orchard across the road. From the mainline, smaller irrigation pipes extend outward through the area of the acre to sprinkle water across the acre.

Sourcing of the water:

As mentioned, the water is retrieved from the Silva orchard’s water infrastructure system via direct mainline connection to the system. The connection will be supplied with water on command from a control unit from the irrigation system at the test site. The orchard receives its water from the water distribution system of the Pajaro Valley, which is overseen by the California Department of Water Resources. The mainline connection will be constructed based on a signed mutual agreement between our company and the Orchard’s owner. This agreement will be put forward to the Department of Water Resources, which will either approve the agreement, or inform us of amendments to be made in order for them to approve our sourcing of water.

Irrigation System Components:

Figure 4: Irrigation System Breakdown

The system is made up of:

• Distribution system from the Silva orchard
• Pressurized Pump
• Cable Protector
• Control Unit
• Control Valves
• Air Gauge
• Water Meter
• Main and Drip Lines
• Moisture Sensor

The distribution system is the water source, from where water is retrieved through the pressurized pump and pushed through the mainline to the test site. The mainline travels through a road, and therefore a cable protector must be placed over the mainline where it lies above the road, in order to protect the line from passing vehicles. The control unit has several commands; it powers on the pressurized pump in order to retrieve water from the orchard, it meters the mountain of water being injected into the soil by taking into account the relative moisture level, and it detects the presence of air in the lines via the air gauge, which would interrupt the waterflow, each of which receive and act the commands through the control valves. The entirety of the mainline remains above the surface of the earth. From the mainline, the drip lines channel out into the soil, which provides a much more efficient release of water into the soil and keeps the soil moist for a longer period of time relative to other irrigation systems. The Moisture sensor (not depicted in diagram) measures and communicates the relative moisture at a designated area on the test site. When The relative moisture is below the necessary amount, the control unit releases water into soil in that air, and stops when the moisture level reaches the threshold.

There is one mainline that travels to the test site, and eight drip lines that channel out into the soil on either side of the mainline as it flows through the site. The irrigation system is a Drip Irrigationsystem that reduces the amount of water used as it eliminates loss from evaporation and runoff.

2.4 Implementation:

The objective is to keep the soil from losing enough moisture that it cannot inhibit wildfires in any way, which is discussed more in the study linked above. The irrigation will go on for the summer months until the heat begins to drop, signalling the end of the wildfire season. This will continue for two years until enough data has been collected for the purpose of the larger scale systems.

If the data is as we predicted, that this system will keep the soil moist during the summer, and prevent wildfires from being uncontainable, then we will implement the system in other high risk towns that are likely to evacuate if a wildfire were to strike their area. There, our system will be strategically placed to surround the outskirts of the town and act as a barrier against a potential wildfire.

3. Expected Project Results

3.1 Overview:

Upon completion of Mini-Soak, Day Valley will be much more fire-hardy. This in conjunction with state efforts to fire proof homes, will make Day Valley much safer. Day Valley will achieve this goal by having several irrigation channels that maintain adequate moisture levels. The channels will use drip irrigation to reduce water needed for the project.

The local area will be able to rebuild from past fires, and bring back tourists and residents, generating revenue for the area.

3.2 Measures of Success:

The measure of success is determined by the decreased occurrence of fires in the area being irrigated. All this data is already recorded by CAL FIRE. This data includes the timeframe of wildfire activity that has occurred in past fires, which will be compared to the impact of future wildfires after our irrigation. If the area being irrigated sees a drop in fire occurrences and duration, then the program work

4. Schedule

Plan Mini-Soak is expected to be finished in time for Summer 2022.

Task	Start Date	End Date
Get approval and funding from Governor Newsom	6/1/2021	9/1/2021
Create job postings The employees we need include construction workers We also want to hire an Environmental Engineer to study and modify the design if necessary	9/1/2021	9/2/2021
Order materials from supplier	9/1/2021	10/1/2021
Plan out a scheduled prescribed burning with the State Fire Prevention Department	9/2/2021	9/8/2021
Hire workers This time period includes reading resumes and hosting interviews. Orientation will occur during the final week of hiring.	9/8/2021	10/1/2021
Construct pipeline and irrigation system according to the planned architectural design	10/7/2021	5/1/2022
Install moisture sensors and develop automated system	5/10/2022	5/20/2022
Monitor Day Valley area for wildfires using CAL FIRE	5/20/2022	5/20/2024

Figure 5: Planned schedule

5. Budget

The majority of the funding we receive will go towards the main pipelines and the workers we hire for this year-long project.

5.1 Estimated Direct Costs:

Materials and labor	Quantity	Cost
Mainline 12-inch diameter PVC pipes	2,400 feet	$60,000
Drip lines (PVC piping)	5,000 feet	$95,000
Pressurized Pump	1	$2,500
Air Gauge	1	$300
Cable Protector	1	$200
Control Unit	1	$1,000
Water Meters	10	$2,500
Moisture sensors	10	$2,000
Laborers	10	$441,000

Figure 6: Estimated Budget Breakdown

Total Estimated Direct Costs: $604,500

This initial investment will pay off as the costs of repair and fire fighting are much larger than this preventative approach.

References:

BBC. (2020, September 12). US wildfires fuelled by climate change, California governor says. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54128872

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). (n.d.). Incidents Overview. Cal Fire Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Retrieved from http://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/.

California Department of Water Resources (CDWR). (n.d.). Infrastructure. Department of Water Resources. https://water.ca.gov/What-We-Do/Infrastructure.

California Government. (2021, April 13). Governor Newsom Signs Landmark $536 MILLION Wildfire Package Accelerating projects to PROTECT High-Risk Communities. Retrieved from https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/04/13/governor-newsom-signs-landmark-536-million-wildfire-package-accelerating-projects-to-protect-high-risk-communities/

Corry, K. (2020, December 7). Full cost of California’s wildfires to the US revealed. UCL News. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2020/dec/full-cost-californias-wildfires-us-revealed

Donahoo, R. (2017, August 15). Understanding Wage Rates Under California’s Prevailing Wage Law: Donahoo & Associates. Donahoo & Associates. Retrieved from www.donahoo.com/understanding-wage-rates-californias-prevailing-wage-law/

Jordan, R. (2019, December 14). Wildfire’s impact on water quality. Retrieved April 28, 2021, from https://news.stanford.edu/2019/12/17/wildfires-impact-water-quality/

Krueger, E.S., Ochsner, T.E., Engle, D.M., Carlson, J., Twidwell, D. and Fuhlendorf, S.D. (2015), Soil Moisture Affects Growing‐Season Wildfire Size in the Southern Great Plains. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 79: 1567-1576. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2015.01.0041

MacKenzie, J. (2018). Watering the vegetable garden. UMN Extension. https://extension.umn.edu/water-wisely-start-your-own-backyard/watering-vegetable-garden#one-inch-of-rain-per-week-869311.

NOAA, (2021). Observed Precipitation. Retrieved 4/28/2021 https://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/rainfall_data.php#monthly

NOAA, (2021). Monthly Precipitation Summary. Retrieved 4/28/2021 https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=lox

Audience Profile Sheet 1

Reader’s Name: Jared Blumenfeld
Reader’s Job Title:	Secretary of California Environmental Protection Agency
Kind of Reader:	Primary__X____ Secondary______
Reader’s Level of Education:	High Educational Background
Reader’s Professional Experience:	From 2009 to 2016, he served under former President Barack Obama as Regional Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Pacific Southwest, a region that includes California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, the Pacific Islands and 148 tribal nations.
Reader’s Job Responsibilities:	Oversees state’s efforts to fight climate change, protect air and water quality, regulate pesticides and toxic substances, etc..
Reader’s Personal Characteristics:	Responsible
Reader’s Cultural Background:	White Male
Reader’s Attitude Toward the Writer (you):	We hope that they will view us as individuals who are passionate about preventing the impact of wildfires
Reader’s Attitude Toward the Position you’re applying to:	Looking for anyone willing to assist in the development of wildfire preventions
Reader’s Expectations for an employee in that position:
Reader’s Expectations about the Résumé and Job Letter (as documents):
Reader’s Way of Reading the Document:	Skim it _____ Study it __X___ Read a portion of it ___ Which portion? Modify it and submit it to another reader____
Reader’s Reading Skill:	High Level
Reader’s Physical Environment:	His Office

Audience Profile Sheet 2

Reader’s Name: Gavin Newsom
Reader’s Job Title:	Governor of California
Kind of Reader:	Primary__X___ Secondary______
Reader’s Level of Education:	High education background
Reader’s Professional Experience:	Political experience in California since 2003. Served as mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. Served as Lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019. Elected Governor of California in 2019.
Reader’s Job Responsibilities:	Oversees the state of California as the executive branch. Reviews bills approved by the legislature Issues executive orders Pursue policies or programs that benefit the state
Reader’s Personal Characteristics:	Responsible. Pursues fairness.
Reader’s Cultural Background:	Born in San Francisco
Reader’s Attitude Toward the Writer (you):	Currently doesn’t know our team
Reader’s Attitude Toward the Position you’re applying to:	He reviews numerous bills and proposals daily. Expects clarity and persuasive evidence.
Reader’s Expectations for an employee in that position:
Reader’s Expectations about the Résumé and Job Letter (as documents):	Clear and concise
Reader’s Way of Reading the Document:	Skim it ____ Study it _____ Read a portion of it _X__ Which portion? Probably about the purpose and the budget request. Modify it and submit it to another reader____
Reader’s Reading Skill:	High level
Reader’s Physical Environment:	His Office

Audience Profile Sheet 3

Reader’s Name: Karla Nemeth
Reader’s Job Title:	Director of the California Department of Water Resources
Kind of Reader:	Primary_____ Secondary__X___
Reader’s Level of Education:	High educational level
Reader’s Professional Experience:	Bay Delta Project Manager from 2009 to 2014. Deputy secretary and senior advisor for water policy since 2014. Appointed current job title in 2018.
Reader’s Job Responsibilities:	Oversees the department and manages projects associated with California’s water resources
Reader’s Personal Characteristics:	Responsible.
Reader’s Cultural Background:
Reader’s Attitude Toward the Writer (you):	Does not know about our group.
Reader’s Attitude Toward the Position you’re applying to:
Reader’s Expectations for an employee in that position:	Understanding about certain limitations with working with water resources.
Reader’s Expectations about the Résumé and Job Letter (as documents):	The purpose is clear and why she was involved in this proposal
Reader’s Way of Reading the Document:	Skim it ____ Study it _____ Read a portion of it _X_ Which portion? She will read about our plans to use water from Silva’s Orchard Modify it and submit it to another reader____
Reader’s Reading Skill:	High level
Reader’s Physical Environment:	Her office

Adapted from Markel (7^th Ed.), p. 88

Audience Analysis Sheet 4

Reader’s Name: Eugene Silva
Reader’s Job Title:	Owner/Co-owner of Silva Orchard
Kind of Reader:	Primary______ Secondary__X___
Reader’s Level of Education:	Unknown
Reader’s Professional Experience:	Owns a family business that has been operating since 1954
Reader’s Job Responsibilities:	Oversees apple orchard. Manages deliveries and customer needs.
Reader’s Personal Characteristics:	Friendly family owned orchard
Reader’s Cultural Background:	unknown
Reader’s Attitude Toward the Writer (you):	n/a
Reader’s Attitude Toward the Position you’re applying to:	n/a
Reader’s Expectations for an employee in that position:	n/a
Reader’s Expectations about the Résumé and Job Letter (as documents):	Wildfires pose a threat to apple orchards as fire from the nearby forests in Day Valley could spread to their trees.
Reader’s Way of Reading the Document:	Skim it __X__ Study it _____ Read a portion of it ___ Which portion? Modify it and submit it to another reader____
Reader’s Reading Skill:	Unknown
Reader’s Physical Environment:	Day Valley. Apple Orchard, lots of trees.

Xavier Davis Reflection

When I read through and took my first look at the engineering proposal prompt, I wasn’t quite sure what direction I felt like going in. Throughout the last 15- 20 years there have been numerous natural disasters all ranging from hurricanes to wildfires that have done nothing but wreck havoc and cause destruction to civilizations. Through wildfire, California has risen as one of the main states that are constantly forced to throw funding into structural recovery funds. After long consideration, my group decided that we should focus our attention on developing a way to prevent the wildfires from creating severe structural damage that reaches a magnitude far out of control. This led to the idea of implementing an irrigation system in the areas where fires are most common. My groupmates and I all have the same concentration of Mechanical Engineering, so it made bouncing ideas off one another so much easier. I could tell just by our remote group meetings that both Domenico and Youseph could picture in their minds what our irrigation system should look like and how it should be implemented into those small areas in California. Christian did a great job at helping me with the structure of the PowerPoint presentation and made sure that the proposal was incorporating all the necessary information.

My role in this project was to create audience analysis to help us come to a better understanding of the purpose of our proposal. I was also tasked with developing the PowerPoint and adding all the important information from the proposal into a structured presentation.

Because of this proposal I learned how to better incorporate rhetorical situations into my work. It was important that we do extensive research on our audience to have a clear understanding about what the purpose of this proposal should be. The moment your audience begins to change, the more discrediting your research can look or sound.

The genre of this assignment is both a Proposal and a Presentation. Through the engineering proposal we describe the current issues regarding wildfire corruption in California as well as introduce our irrigation system that should decrease the spread of fires in the local areas of California. The PowerPoint allows for me to speak more directly to our audience. Additions such as video footage of a 2018 wildfire as well as more detailed charts on the scheduling and funding of our project are specific audience attractions that are absent from our proposal and fix well in an organized PowerPoint.

This engineering proposal meets course learning outcomes 2 and 3. The proposal meets outcome 2 because we needed to do heavy peer review work which allowed me to examine other groups’ proposals to see what we could approve upon in ours. The proposal also meets Outcome 3 which talks about negotiating the audiences’ expectations into our project. We were assigned to create both a proposal and a PowerPoint, which are 2 different methods of reaching our intended audiences.

Youseph Elmasry Reflection

The engineering proposal was by the most challenging task my group has had to complete this course. The big question was how could we find a way to reduce forest fires, in a way that the Californian government is not already doing? So we got to research, searching for what were the causes of wildfires generally, and what were they in California. Each of us came up with answers, together collaborating while independently looking for material on the internet, meeting the learning outcome requirement of utilizing the internet or other methods to find appropriate sources for our project, and engaging in a collaborative environment in order to compose our document. It came down to one simple problem: California has a hot desert climate, and it gets most of its rain outside of the summer season. As a result, when the summertime rolls in California, it just keeps getting hotter and hotter, which has the same effect on the landscape as a pack of macaroni left to boil on a pot. First the water will evaporate, and the heat inside the pot will become so great the macaroni will dry up completely and eventually catch fire. The same thing happens with the soil and dead vegetation in California summers. Because of this, we had to find an innovative means to get the soil moisturized in the summer, that did not involve natural means, i.e. rain, as it simply was unlikely to rain based on the data we found. What we came up with was an irrigation system that was supplied via a local orchard’s water line, which we would obtain the Department of Water Resource’s consent to do. We had other options such as drawing out seawater, and were initially working towards this, but decided against it as it was simply too unrealistic and impractical.

However, this experience helped shape most of the rhetorical elements of our project. The exigence was already easily found. I spent three months in Southern California this time last year, and saw firsthand the effect the recent wildfires have had on the people there. So when this project was assigned, I was already leaning towards that specific disaster and suggested to my peers, who agreed. As I’ve mentioned, the four other rhetorical elements came as we worked through the project. The target audience was identified early on. We knew we wanted to moisturize the soil, so we knew we needed water. As such we had to include the department responsible for water resources and distribution in the state. Further, we wanted to collaborate with the Wildfire Prevention department as they have data we needed to develop Plan Mini-soak during its testing stage, and they could provide insight as to where we found success with our work. Lastly, Governor Newsom was a new-brainer. He recently put a lot of money towards reducing the damage caused by wildfires. We needed that money to fund our project, and he would certainly be interested by reducing damage by preventing it before it happened.

The next rhetorical element to tackle was the genre. All this information we gathered was composed into an engineering project proposal. We had a lot of research, we needed to organize it into an easy to surf and read document so we could sell our case. This brings us to the stance. The stance we took throughout this document was informative and based on showing them why our idea is the best, without directly saying so. This helped us clarify our purpose, to receive funding from governor Newsom and his approval to proceed with our project to help his state against the natural disasters that they are up against.

Domenico Gioffre Reflection

The engineering proposal was an incredible learning experience. The most valuable component of this experience was by far the teamwork component. It served me well to learn to work with my teammates. We did not always agree, but we compromised enough to get the job done.

My task in this project was concept and materials. I wrote the introduction, and helped create the idea with Youseph. Then once the entire team was on board and the ball was rolling, I was tasked with materials and budget.

I was tasked with this because I had background experience in construction, so materials was best in my hands. This helped make budgeting easier as I knew what materials to use for certain price ranges. For example, galvanized pipe is more expensive than PVC at certain lengths.

This project displayed the rhetorical elements in many different ways. The exigence was that California needs a cheaper and more efficient way to prevent fires. The media used was powerpoint and a memo. The memo was longer than normal, because of the vast amounts of information needed to be conveyed. If I could do this over I would try to make the memo briefer. But as this is a assignment, our memo’s real audience was a professor, therefore we had to elaborate on many things we would not have had to elaborate to California state government. The powerpoint was the appropriate media for the presentation stage. It was very very brief, as a powerpoint slide is supposed to merely guid the presenter.

The genre was a engineering project proposal. There was plenty of information gathered for this project, all to back up our stance. Our stance was a biased, but scientific and professional one. We truly believe that our method is a cost effective method of preventing wildfires that should be explored. The purpose of this engineering project proposal was to push that idea on the California state government.

Christian San Jose Reflection

The genre for this paper is an Engineering Proposal, which I learned is a document that argues for a product, research, or system. Our purpose was to argue for a new method for dealing with wildfires, which should ultimately persuade the audience into supporting our requests. In this assignment, my group and I had to consider a handful of people as our audience, more than any previous genre. In total, we found four people to act as our audience as they each play a role in getting our proposal approved for funding and implementation. For example, our primary audience was Gavin Newsom, the governor of California. He would be able to grant us money for this project. Another audience member was Karla Nemeth, who we had to convince to let us direct water to our pipelines. The media is digital, but one major part of the assignment is a powerpoint presentation, which means this assignment is part verbal. Regarding the topic of wildfires, our stance is that a method for keeping the soil moist is an effective way to reduce the number of fires in California each year. This was also our exigence as wildfires are devastating disasters that need attention. Many people are displaced when a fire breaks out and it will keep getting worse with climate change and the building of more properties.

One Course Learning Outcome that this genre had us learn was to “negotiate our own writing goals and audience expectations regarding conventions of genre, medium, and rhetorical situation.” Perhaps the biggest part of this assignment was the audience and their expectations. For example, I found writing the purpose of the memo tough because I had to think about what the audience expected. If you write that the purpose was to introduce yourself but do not later on, then the audience’s expectations were missed. With regards to the Engineering Proposal, our audience members had different jobs and therefore, reading for different things. One of them was the Governor of California while the other was the owner of an apple orchard. Consequently, I had to “formulate and articulate a stance through and in your writing.” Having a stance on this issue was essential to persuading the audience. For instance, a Governor would not approve a grant if we did not believe in our methods.

Furthermore, research was important in this genre, which “strengthened my source use practices (including evaluating, integrating, quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, synthesizing, analyzing, and citing sources).” Following citation conventions portrays our range of research and builds on our credibility. We did not pull wildfire statistics or a solution out of nowhere. Finding credible sources also helped with “practice using various library resources, online databases, and the Internet to locate sources appropriate to your writing projects.”

For this project, I worked on parts of the introduction (the background, objective, and needs statement), schedule, and budget. I also worked on arranging the powerpoint, the reference page to adhere to APA conventions, as well as audience analysis sheets. As for teamwork, having everything online probably wasn’t the best thing as we could have started a lot sooner if there were in person meetings. Otherwise, the job was done.