[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 24689-24690]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        CONGRATULATIONS TO THE EASTERN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 2000

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Eastern 
Municipal Water District, who observed its 50th anniversary of service 
to western Riverside County on October 14th. On that nostalgic day 
Eastern Municipal celebrated with present and past employees, and their 
families, with a fly-over, antique car show, displays and 
demonstration, live '50s music, clowns, a magic show and much more.
  Formed in 1950 to secure additional water for the western Riverside 
County, which faced declining groundwater supply and continuing 
droughts, Eastern Municipal has exceeded expectations. Originally only 
serving a lightly populated area, it now has a service area of 555 
square miles, with a total of nearly 440,000 people, while additionally 
providing

[[Page 24690]]

sewage collection and water recycling services. In 1999/2000 Eastern 
Municipal sold 83,000 acre-feet of fresh water alone (one-acre-foot is 
325,900 gallons, or as much as two families use in and around their 
homes in one year). One quarter of their water supply comes from wells, 
while the remainder comes from the Colorado River Aqueduct and its 
connections to the California State Water Project. Additionally, 
Eastern Municipal sells to eight other water agencies, which serve the 
areas of: Elsinore Valley, Western Riverside County, Lake Hemet, City 
of Hemet, Nuevo, City of San Jacinto and Rancho California.
  In water storage, Eastern Municipal maintains 76 tanks which hold 
nearly 170 million gallons of water. These tanks provide assurance that 
water will be available during possible future droughts or declining 
water supply.
  Mr. Speaker, for the state of California there are two issues 
constantly at the forefront: water, and more water. Therefore, the 
importance of municipal water districts cannot be underestimated--they 
will continue to grow and play an increasingly important role in 
southern California. As the Riverside and the Inland Empire continue to 
grow, we will need to find ways to live within the 4.4 million acre-
feet restriction on the Colorado River that has been imposed by the 
Secretary of the Interior on southern California. The goals of 
reclamation will become even more important. Eastern Municipal Water 
District has proven itself capable of solving our water supply 
challenges for the past 50 years. I look forward to working with them 
on our important shared goals for years to come. Again, I extend my 
``Congratulations!'' to Eastern Municipal Water District.

                          ____________________