[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 79 (Monday, May 24, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REMARKS ON CHIPS BARRY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 24, 2010

  Ms. DeGETTE. Madam Speaker, Hamlet ``Chips'' Barry, the nearly 20-
year head of Denver Water, was a dynamic man and a true visionary for 
Denver and the West. Throughout his tenure at Denver Water, he not only 
transformed the agency but taught legions of legislators, myself 
included, the elements of water law and its fundamental importance to 
Denver and the West.
  Chips grew up in the Montclair section of east Denver and attended 
Denver Public Schools. In 1966, he graduated cum laude from Yale 
College, where he majored in American Studies and was a member of the 
tennis team. In 1969, he earned a law degree from Columbia University 
Law School.
  After law school, Chips worked as a VISTA volunteer lawyer in rural 
Alaska, served as a law clerk to Judge Robert McWilliams on the 10th 
Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, and was a legal services lawyer in 
Micronesia.
  Upton his return to Colorado, he became heavily involved in civic 
activities, including work on the first statewide water plan under 
Governor Dick Lamm and serving as a member of the Board of Governors 
for the Colorado Bar Association. He then served as the Executive 
Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources for Governor 
Roy Romer from 1987 to 1990, after which he was named manager of Denver 
Water in January 1991.
  At Denver Water, Chips' open-door policy made him accessible to 
employees throughout the organization. He was well respected for his 
willingness to negotiate and his ability to avoid conflict. Through his 
personal efforts, Denver Water also improved relationships with many 
entities on Colorado's Western Slope.
  During his tenure at Denver Water, the utility implemented a 
conservation program that is nationally and internationally recognized 
as a model of success. He built a recycled water distribution system, 
invested millions of dollars in treatment facility improvements, 
monitored recovery from several devastating wildfires in Denver Water's 
watershed, and was the leader in the recovery work from one of the 
worst droughts in the city's history. His ``Use Only What You Need'' 
campaign has helped Denver residents cut their use of water by 33 
percent, easily below the national average.
  Chips was the creator and founder of the Western Urban Water 
Coalition, which represents all the major water utilities in the semi-
arid West and has become a respected voice in Washington on such issues 
as endangered species and federal regulation of water. In 2009, he won 
the President's Award from the Association of Metropolitan Water 
Agencies for his leadership on local and national levels regarding the 
drinking water industry.
  Chips owned a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii and planned to retire and 
work his farm. He enjoyed tennis, squash, skiing, and golf. He 
collected old Saabs, foreign paper money, and books about Micronesia 
and Alaska. Chips was famous for his boundless sense of humor and 
never-ending joke supply, and his bushy moustache. He occasionally 
dressed as Teddy Roosevelt to entertain friends. His immense 
personality and remarkable vision for Western water will be deeply 
missed, but never forgotten.

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