[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 179 (Friday, November 8, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT

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                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 8, 2019

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Merced Irrigation 
District (MID) on the occasion of their 100th anniversary. Since its 
founding, MID has provided water and power to many Merced, California 
residents and farmers in the greater Merced region.
  MID began in 1919 when the community voted to establish its own 
public irrigation district. In 1922, MID purchased the Crocker Huffman 
Land and Water Company irrigation system and subsequently chose the 
Exchequer Mining Company on the Merced River as the ideal location to 
construct their first dam. Once constructed, Exchequer Dam allowed for 
storage of 281,000 acre-feet of water.
  MID was looking to expand in the 1950s and began planning for more 
water storage. In 1964 the Federal Power Commission granted a license 
for MID to expand irrigation and power facilities on the Merced River. 
During this time, Pacific Gas and Electric Company entered into a 
contract with MID to sell all electricity produced by the project, 
which allowed them to finance it with no additional fees on taxpayers 
or growers. When completed, the New Exchequer Dam increased Lake 
McClure's storage to 1,024,600 acre-feet. By 1967, MID completed New 
Exchequer and McSwain Dams, enabling them to produce tens of thousands 
of megawatt hours of electricity while increasing their water storage.
  In 1970, improvements to areas behind the dams at Lakes McClure and 
McSwain were completed, allowing them to become popular public 
recreational facilities. During the same time period, MID undertook 
initiatives to improve its fisheries and in the 1980s, renovated the 
Lake Yosemite Dam and launched the Double-Barreled LeGrande Replacement 
Project.
  Today, Merced Irrigation District provides water to 2,200 local 
farmers, produces clean renewable energy, replenishes groundwater and 
helps protect the quality of groundwater, and provides multiple 
recreation facilities to the public. Due to the investments and 
decisions made early on, MID continues to be a regional leader in water 
and energy.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Merced 
Irrigation District during their centennial year celebration. It is 
both fitting and appropriate that we honor and recognize the 
significant impact they've had on the development of Merced and its 
outlying communities.

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