[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 115 (Thursday, July 28, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1432-E1433]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF JOSEPH COUNTRYMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2011

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Joe Countryman as 
he retires from his position as President of MBK Engineers. Through his 
work as an expert engineer, he has protected numerous regions of 
California, including Sacramento and the Central Valley, from flooding. 
Over the last 45 years, his engineering excellence has safeguarded the 
lives, homes and businesses of millions of Californians. I ask all my 
colleagues to join me today in honoring a true leader of the Sacramento 
community.
  In the Sacramento area, flooding is of paramount concern to all of 
us. Joe's work has been crucial to protecting us from disaster, first 
as a senior civilian at the Army Corps of Engineers and then as the 
President of MBK Engineers. In 1986, during the historic storms, he 
managed the Folsom Reservoir flood operations for the Army Corps of 
Engineers. His decisions and resolve helped avoid a potential disaster 
for hundreds of thousands of residents in Sacramento along the American 
River, as a catastrophic flood threatened our dams and levees. Since 
then, he has worked to improve flood control operations at Folsom 
Reservoir, Oroville Dam, Shasta Dam, and other critically important 
sites across the Western United States. He has been influential in 
countless other projects not only in California, but also in Nevada, 
Utah, and Colorado.
  Since I was elected, I have turned to Joe for his advice on a number 
of flood protection projects. Mr. Countryman is known not only for his 
incredible work in his field, but for his integrity and ability to 
communicate complex engineering and hydraulic information to the 
public. He has received many honors, including the Award of Merit from 
San Jose State University, the Commander's Award for Distinguished 
Service by the Army Corps of Engineers, and the American Society of 
Civil Engineers' Region 9 Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of 
the American Society of Engineers, the Flood Plain Managers 
Association, the Environmental and Water Resources Institute, and has 
been acknowledged as a Diplomate Water Resources Engineer for the 
American Academy of Water Resources Engineers.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize and thank Joe Countryman for 
his remarkable service not only to Sacramento, but to many other 
communities throughout the nation, and for his innovation and 
accomplishments in the field of engineering. I ask my colleagues to 
join me in congratulating Mr. Countryman on his service and retirement. 
His expertise will certainly be missed.

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