County Flood-Control Expert to Retire

William Zaun, the county’s longtime public works director and an expert on flood-control policy, is retiring at the end of the month after 39 years in county government.

Zaun, 61, has supervised a variety of flood-control projects, including the $1.3-billion effort to protect communities around the Santa Ana River against damage from a once-in-100-year flood.

The river project is more than half complete, and residents in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and surrounding areas have seen their flood-insurance rates reduced as a result.

But Zaun remains concerned that the federal government might cut back the funding needed to finish the project. “The target date was 2001,” Zaun said. “But I could see it being delayed to 2006 or 2007.”

Zaun, a Tustin resident, began his career as a civil engineer for the county and rose through the ranks to be transportation director, and more recently, public works director.