Dolores Taylor
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“I’ve always liked working here. People say, ‘Aren’t you going to retire?’ What for? Work’s only work if you’d
rather be doing something else.”
AGE: 60
HOME: Ventura
PROFESSION: Senior hydrologist, Ventura County Flood Control District
LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Taylor has delighted in helping the agency use satellite imaging to help predict floods across the county. With the touch of a finger, Taylor and county hydrologists can factor in the characteristics of every forecasted rainstorm and pinpoint potential flooding spots. Set to be online by the end of the month, the new technology should help warn residents of flooding hazards.
GOALS FOR 1998: Taylor’s modernization efforts will be put to the test this winter as El Nino blows through Southern California. Beyond the satellite imaging, Taylor’s agency is planning to replace the county’s old, labor-intensive rain gauges with more efficient electronic devices that will cut calibration times from 15 hours to 15 minutes. Even in the most remote, inaccessible reaches of the county, the new gauges will quickly allow engineers to evaluate months’ worth of rainfall rates.
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