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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUE TO CURTIS CREEL
______
HON. KEVIN McCARTHY
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Curtis
Creel, the General Manager of the Kern County Water Agency (KCWA),
whose steady hand helped guide our community and agricultural producers
through some of the worst years of drought that Kern County and
California experienced in recent history.
Curtis was born in Lakeview, Oregon, but has spent most of his life
in California. A graduate of California State University, Humboldt, in
1986, Curtis quickly found a position in California's Department of
Water Resources (DWR), and eventually rose to the position of Chief of
the State Water Project (SWP) Operation and Planning Branch. In March
of 2005, Curtis was hired as the Water Resources Manager for the Kern
County Water Agency (KCWA). The KCWA contracts about 25% of the water
on the SWP system, which supports some of the most fertile and
productive agricultural lands in the United States.
Promoted to KCWA General Manager in 2016, Curtis recognized the
strategic importance of planning for the long-term needs of our
community. During negotiations on the California water-related
provisions of the Water Infrastructure for Improvements to the Nation
(WIIN) Act of 2016, Curtis' advice and counsel was invaluable. This
bipartisan law provides increased flexibility to move water from
northern California to the Central Valley and southern California to
meet our communities' needs, while protecting fish and the environment.
He has also played a critical role in increasing water supply
reliability for our region through his support of new surface water
storage projects and enlarging existing reservoirs. In addition, Curtis
has served on the Board of Directors of the State Water Contractors
Association, including as president.
Most recently, Curtis played a major role in advocating for our
community as various federal and state agencies work to update the
regulations that govern water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin
River Delta. His ability to draw on his more than 14 years of
experience as a champion for the SWP at the KCWA, combined with his
technical expertise from his time at DWR, has been crucial during this
initiative. In California, they say that ``whiskey is for drinking, and
water is for fighting over.'' I have always been impressed by Curtis'
steady hand, his soft-spoken nature, and his continual focus on
results, even when things get heated. In his office, there is a quote
from President Theodore Roosevelt prominently displayed that says,
``Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to
work hard at the work worth doing.'' Curtis loved working in water
management and it was critical work worth doing.
Although bittersweet to see Curtis leave, I know that Curtis is
looking forward to spending more time with his wife, Traci, his son
Michael, and his daughter Courtney and her husband Joshua. Curtis can
rest assured that the planning and work he has done will continue to
put the KCWA, farmers, and our community in the Central Valley of
California in the best position possible. On behalf of the 23rd
Congressional District of California, I want to thank Curtis for his
dedication over the last decade as he helped lead our community through
crippling drought and fought for commonsense reforms to federal and
state regulations to ensure our community received the life-sustaining
water it needs to thrive.
____________________
