[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25925]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 TRIBUTE TO CHARLES E. BRYANT, HI-DESERT WATER DISTRICT GENERAL MANAGER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 1, 2000

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, in California's High Desert, 
water is one of the most valuable commodities, and the people who 
obtain and distribute this precious liquid are among the hardest 
working public servants in the 40th Congressional District. I would 
like today to offer a salute to an exemplary public servant who had 
spent years ensuring water is delivered in a dry place: Charles E. 
Bryant, general manager of the Hi-Desert Water District, which serves 
25,000 people in Yucca Valley, California.
  Mr. Bryant came to the Hi-Desert Water District in 1992 after serving 
as city administrator for the City of Hawaiian Gardens, California and 
a member of the board of directors of the Elsinore Valley Municipal 
Water District for 10 years. His extensive background prepared him to 
help run a far-flung but growing water district, but no amount of 
experience could prepare him for what happened within two weeks of his 
arrival. The Landers Earthquake, a massive 7.4 on the Richter Scale, 
damaged 40 percent of the district's 274 miles of pipelines. Working 
around the clock, Mr. Bryant and the dedicated staff of the district 
had everything repaired and working within two weeks.
  Under Chuck Bryant's leadership, the district has joined with the 
Mojave Water Agency to build and operate the Morongo Basin Pipeline and 
the Hi-Desert Pipeline Extension and a 5 million-gallon reservoir that 
brings the area's residents water from the California Aqueduct. Working 
with my office, the district has joined the Bureau of Reclamation's 
Title 16 Program, and could qualify for $12 million in grants for 
wastewater treatment facilities. The district has also sought and 
received other grants for wastewater facility construction and for 
removal of nitrates from local water.
  Looking ahead to the future, Mr. Bryant oversaw creation of an ``in-
house capital replacement program'' to replace and modernize the 
district's delivery system over 12 years. Other efficiency measures 
have improved customer service and placed the district on its most 
stable financial foundation.
  Mr. Speaker, Chuck Bryant has decided to retire from the Hi-Desert 
Water District, and I would ask my colleagues to join me in thanking 
him for his years of public service, and wishing him well in his future 
endeavors.

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