[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 26 (Thursday, February 16, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E214-E215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TURLOCK IRRIGATION DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF DENHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 16, 2012

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and honor the 
Turlock Irrigation District as it gets ready to celebrate its 125th 
anniversary this year.
  Established in 1887, the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) was the 
first publicly owned irrigation district in the state. Organized under 
the Wright Act, the District operated as a special district under the 
provisions of the California Water Code. In 1893, TID and the 
neighboring Modesto Irrigation District built La Grange Dam to divert 
water into their canal systems; and in 1900, Henry Stirring was the 
first farmer to receive irrigation water from TID canals in Ceres.
  Beginning in 1923, TID began a system of expansion to provide 
electric retail energy, as

[[Page E215]]

new dams and powerhouses were constructed. Since then, TID has been 
able to provide safe, affordable and reliable electricity to a growing 
retail customer base, which has expanded to include over 98,000 
residential, farm, business, industrial and municipal accounts in 
portions of Stanislaus, Merced, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties. 2003 
was a monumental year for TID, when they purchased a 225-square-mile 
electric service territory from PG&E and designated it the Westside 
Service Area. In 2005, the Turlock Irrigation District became certified 
as an independent control area and opened the Walnut Energy Center, a 
natural gas-fired plant, in 2006. The most recent development occurred 
in 2009, when TID purchased the Tuolumne Wind Project, a wind 
generation facility capable of producing 136.6 megawatts, and began 
installing SMART Meters in its service area.
  Currently, TID provides irrigation water to more than 5,800 growers 
in a 307-square-mile service area that incorporates 149,500 acres of 
Central Valley farmland. The Tuolumne River is the District's primary 
source of water, originating at Mt. Lyell in Yosemite National Park. 
Water for irrigation and hydroelectric power production is kept at Don 
Pedro Reservoir--about 50 miles east of Turlock in the Sierra Nevada 
foothills, near the historic gold rush era town of La Grange.
  On February 24, 2012, the Turlock Irrigation District will be hosting 
a VIP showing of the documentary film they helped to produced entitled, 
The Irrigationist: The Story of the Turlock Irrigation District. The 
documentary will serve as an educational tool to inform people of all 
ages about the District's rich history and is a wonderful way to 
involve TID customers in celebration of the District's 125th 
anniversary, which occurs on June 6, 2012.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring the Turlock Irrigation 
District on the release of the new documentary film and the upcoming 
125th anniversary of aathis pioneering institution.

                          ____________________