[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 143 (Tuesday, September 25, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1971]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN HONOR OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMPLETION OF THE MONTICELLO 
                                  DAM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 25, 2007

  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Madam Speaker, I rise with the support of my 
colleagues, Hon. George Miller and Hon. Mike Thompson to recognize the 
50th anniversary of the completion of the Monticello Dam. This 
monumental accomplishment has been instrumental in providing the people 
of Solano County with a vast supply of high quality water.
  Completed in October of 1957 as part of the Solano Project, the 
Monticello Dam rises 304 feet high spanning a gorge of 1,023 feet while 
storing 1.6 million acre feet of water. The Monticello Dam created Lake 
Berryessa and is one of the largest reservoirs in the State of 
California.
  The Monticello Dam is owned by the United States Bureau of 
Reclamation but is operated and maintained locally by the Solano County 
Water Agency.
  Through the management of the Monticello Dam, the Solano County Water 
Agency is able to provide 200,000 acre feet per year of high quality 
and dependable water. This supply amounts to about two-thirds of the 
total water use of Solano County. The Solano Project serves a growing 
population of about 350,000 people in the cities of Vacaville, 
Fairfield, Suisun City and Vallejo. Additionally the Solano Project 
serves about 80,000 acres of irrigated farmland by providing 
agricultural water to the Solano Irrigation District and the Maine 
Prairie Water District.
  In addition to serving the water needs of our communities the 
Monticello Dam has additional local benefits. The Dam created Lake 
Berryessa, 23 miles long and 3 miles wide with 165 miles of shoreline 
that offers year-round recreational opportunities.
  The river downstream of the Dam, known as Lower Putah Creek, provides 
a valuable fish and wildlife area on the border of Yolo and Solano 
Counties. Community groups such as the Lower Putah Creek Coordinating 
Committee are involved in creek restoration planning. This committee, 
made up of Yolo and Solano representatives, oversees stream restoration 
projects that enhance the natural setting.
  We wish to commend the Solano County Water Agency for 50 years of 
outstanding management of the Monticello Dam and recognize its 
essential contribution to the quality of life in the region.

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