[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 158 (Tuesday, November 4, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2218]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF CALLEGUAS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 4, 2003

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the outstanding 
service that Calleguas Municipal Water District has provided to a vast 
majority of my constituents in Ventura County, California, for the past 
50 years.
  Calleguas' mission ``is to provide its service area with a reliable 
and adequate supply of quality supplemental water through the 
acquisition and distribution of both regional and locally developed 
water in an environmentally and economically responsible manner.'' It 
has been doing so since voters created the district in 1953.
  As the county grew, so did Calleguas. The population of the 
district's service area boomed from 138,000 in 1964 to an estimated 
520,000 in 1996, and annual deliveries increased from 9,000 acre feet 
to in excess of 95,000 acre feet over the same period.
  In 1960, Calleguas joined with the Metropolitan Water District of 
Southern California to import water from the State Water Project. It 
supplies all or some of the water to about 75 percent of Ventura 
County's population, including residences and businesses in the cities 
of Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, and Port 
Hueneme, through 20 local agencies and private customers.
  This is a challenge under the best of conditions. But with a severe 
drought lingering over the area for 10 years and earthquakes wreaking 
havoc on infrastructure, it has been a gargantuan task.
  Calleguas has risen to the challenge. It is in the process of 
developing a storage capacity of up to 300,000 acre-feet of potable 
water in the Lower Aquifer System of the Las Posas Groundwater Basin. 
This is in addition to the 12 reservoirs and 10,000 acre-feet lake it 
already maintains and operates.
  It is reclaiming 14,000 acre feet per year of highly treated 
wastewater effluent from the Conejo Creek for agricultural irrigation, 
one of its many programs to treat, reuse, store, and conserve water.
  At the same time, Calleguas has proven to be an exceptional 
environmental steward. It has assumed a leadership role in the 
development of the Calleguas Creek Watershed Management Plan, a public-
private alliance formed to develop an integrated strategy for the 
protection and enhancement of the watershed and its resources. Mr. 
Speaker, Congress is a partner in this effort, as well.
  Water is the lifeblood of any community. Calleguas has done an 
exceptional job of protecting this precious resource and enhancing its 
delivery, treatment, and storage.
  I know, Mr. Speaker, that my colleagues will join me in 
congratulating Calleguas Municipal Water District for 50 years of 
outstanding service, and thank Calleguas for its efforts to provide a 
stable water supply for the residents and businesses of Ventura County, 
California.

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