[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E62]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        A TRIBUTE TO STEIN BUER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 18, 2011

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Stein 
Buer for his leadership as the Executive Director of the Sacramento 
Area Flood Control Agency, SAFCA. Stein recently departed SAFCA after 
six successful years to return to the California Department of Water 
Resources, where he will serve as Assistant Chief of the Division of 
Flood Management. I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring Stein 
for is dedication to protecting the people of Sacramento from flooding.
  Over the past six years I have worked with Stein to improve 
Sacramento's flood defenses and I have always found him to be a man of 
intelligence, integrity and vision. Under his leadership, SAFCA was 
instrumental in repairing some of Sacramento's most vulnerable levees, 
he worked with the California legislature to implement better flood 
management policies, and led by aggressively moving forward on both the 
Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project and the Natomas Levee Improvement 
Project.
  Since Stein's tenure began at SAFCA in 2004 he has worked to finish 
ongoing levee projects and quickly start new ones. Some of Stein's most 
successful projects include working to certify the levees along some of 
Sacramento's urban creeks, and along both the American and Sacramento 
Rivers. These certifications were instrumental in improving public 
safety and removing tens of thousands of homeowners from the 100-year 
floodplain. Under his watch, SAFCA has also started over 40 miles of 
levee improvements in the Natomas Basin.
  From Folsom Dam to South Sacramento, Stein's imprint can be seen 
throughout the Sacramento Region. Shortly after arriving at SAFCA, 
Stein and his colleagues from a number of government agencies had to 
rapidly redesign a series of modifications to the Folsom Dam in the 
wake of potential cost overruns. Through this refined project, a second 
spillway will be added to the Folsom Dam which will significantly 
improve the management of larger flood events. Thanks in large part to 
his efforts, this project is on time and on budget.
  An advocate for both public safety and environmental conservation, 
Stein was a driving force behind the Levee Vegetation Science 
Conference and the California Levees Roundtable. During these 
discussions, he brought the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the 
California Department of Water Resources, and other key stakeholders 
together to discuss the impacts of removing trees and other vegetation 
from levees. Through these discussions, Stein was able to spearhead a 
comprehensive framework that included key stakeholders in levee 
improvement decisions that reduced flood risks, while maintaining both 
vegetation and levee integrity.
  After a great deal of success and more than six years as the 
Executive Director, Stein has decided to return to the California 
Department of Water Resources as the Assistant Chief of the Division of 
Flood Management. In this role, Stein will assist in the design and 
implementation of the State's FloodSafe Program, an undertaking that 
will significantly benefit from his experience and comprehensive 
approach to flood protection.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand today to recognize and honor the exceptional 
leadership of Stein Buer. His ability to address the concerns of many 
and work towards common goals has been truly remarkable. I ask all my 
colleagues to join me in thanking Stein for his service as the 
Executive Director of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency. I would 
also like to take a moment and thank Stein's wife Noelle and their 
three children, who have shared Stein with the wider Sacramento 
community for the last six years. I wish Stein and his family continued 
happiness and success.

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