[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 11, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E47-E48]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING GARY DARLING FOR HIS DEDICATED SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERRY McNERNEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 11, 2017

  Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I, along with my colleagues, 
Representatives DeSaulnier and Huffman, rise today to honor Gary W. 
Darling for dedicating 33 years to an incredible career as a water 
professional. Mr. Darling developed his technical background by 
graduating from the University of California, Davis and becoming a 
registered professional civil engineer. His academic pedigree led him 
to a long and productive career in managing and leading a water agency, 
numerous infrastructure projects, and building coalitions in Northern 
California.
   For 15 years, Mr. Darling managed the Los Vaqueros Reservoir 
Project, which is a crucial reservoir for our region's water supply and 
environment. He was a Project Manager during the planning and 
environmental review phases for the $1 billion Freeport Regional Water 
Authority and served for six years on the Board of Directors for the 
California Association of Sanitation Agencies. Notably, he served 11 
years as General Manager of Delta Diablo, overseeing wastewater 
resource recovery services for 200,000 people across Antioch, Bay 
Point, and Pittsburg. Delta Diablo is proud to be an award-winning 
agency that is ``transforming wastewater to resources'' by investing in 
innovative solutions and partnerships.
   Mr. Darling also has a long and successful history of leading 
organizations. For more than eight years, he has led the 19-agency Bay 
Area Biosolids to Energy Coalition. Members implement regional 
biosolids management solutions to maximize renewable energy and 
minimize greenhouse gas emissions. To Gary's credit, this coalition has 
six pre-commercial bioenergy technology projects in development.
   Gary Darling has shown impressive leadership of the 22-member 
Western Recycled Water Coalition (WRWC) over the last nine years. This 
important coalition recruits members and facilitates collaboration to 
develop sustainable water supplies for their communities throughout the 
western United States. WRWC secured close to $35 million in federal 
funding that was leveraged with local and

[[Page E48]]

state funds to construct eight essential water infrastructure projects. 
The coalition also secured $4 million for feasibility studies and 
planning for 14 new projects. 2016 membership includes planning for 34 
projects that will provide close to 200,000 acre-feet per year of 
sustainable water supplies. Mr. Darling and WRWC also worked with 
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Stanford University, and others 
to pilot innovative new desalination and wastewater technologies to 
advance the wastewater resource recovery industry.
   In conclusion, we ask our colleagues to join us in acknowledging and 
thanking Gary Darling for his service and significant contributions to 
our communities and water supply. We congratulate him on his retirement 
and are looking forward to his future ventures.

                          ____________________