Good morning everyone and thank you, Ernest, for the kind words.
And to see you all here today.
My compliments to you and the California-Great Basin region,
in planning and hosting such a beautiful event today.
I'm grateful to be with you today,
as we commence work on this critical dam safety modification project.
And recognize Reclamation's 120th anniversary.
So happy birthday Reclamation.
And kick a year's worth of celebration.
With the Bureau's legacy of managing water in the west.
Now, on behalf of the leadership and staff of Reclamation
I thank the dignitaries who've joined us for this historic moment.
I know Congressman Jim Costa wanted to be here today
and sends his regards.
Certainly our own Assistant Secretary Tanya Trujillo.
Our partner in California Department of Water Resources, Director Karla Nemeth.
San Luis Delta-Mendota Water Authority
Federico, thank you.
And as note is: our purpose here today is twofold.
First, to commence construction
of the B.F. Sisk Safety modification project.
This will be Reclamation’s largest dam safety project to date
under the 1978 Safety of Dams Act.
In March of 2022,
the Department of the Interior
announced a $100 million investment
in B.F. Sisk Dam Safety modification
as part of President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.
B.F. Sisk Dam and San Luis Reservoir are representative of Reclamation’s legacy of effective resource management.
The work being done here--
--funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law--
is emblematic of our commitment to modernize water infrastructure.
So, it is fitting
to break ground here once again
and to invest in our infrastructure and the future of California.
I also want to recognize the efforts of the Reclamation team
behind the management, engineering and design work for the modification project.
This effort required a tremendous amount of collaboration and coordination
among the California-Great Basin Region,
our Dam Safety Office,
and our Technical Service Center.
And we have representatives from every one of those offices today.
Thanks you to Katherine Strozinski
for her efforts in coordinating the project.
Katherine, where are you?
Thank you.
And many thanks also go to Caleb Rudkin,
who led our TSC efforts
to produce a design modification
while overcoming challenges associated with the pandemic
and addressing
the complicated underlying geologic conditions.
Thank you, also, to Richard Welsh.
And certainly to Henry Martinez.
And his mom and his aunts are here today,
for his leadership.
And the Willows construction crew.
For the work you are doing,
But certainly, they helped put this together for us today.
So thank you very much.
The B.F. Sisk modification reflects the outstanding work
of the design team and everyone involved in this project.
In conjunction with today's groundbreaking,
Reclamation is kicking off a year-long celebration to highlight our rich history.
It was 120 years ago today--
June 17th, 1902--
that Reclamation was created.
Today's inaugural event commemorates our founding
and over the next year will be followed by additional events in other regions.
Each celebration will hold a historical significance
to showcase how the Bureau has
kept Reclamation at the forefront of modern engineering
for the past 120 years.
[clapping]
These events will focus on projects
that we're using to put that $8.3 billion of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law into work.
Now, as we talking about our history,
There's typically a focus on infrastructure.
And that's understandable.
Reclamation has constructed
some of the world's
famous and enduring engineering marvels.
Examples include:
Hoover Dam,
Grand Coulee,
Glen Canyon,
Theodore Roosevelt Dam,
and right here where we are today.
The B.F. Sisk Dam.
This 3.5 mile
compacted earth-filled embankment
impounds the nation's
largest off-stream reservoir.
And then there are the 1,600 miles of main canals,
37,500 miles of water delivery laterals.
And Reclamation’s story is one of physical structures
that have harnessed the power
and benefits of water to make the West what it is today.
It’s a legacy of imagining, designing, and building facilities
that generate electricity
to power the West and irrigate crops to feed the world.
So yes,
it is easy
to see why a Bureau that maintains 487 dams,
manages 338 reservoirs,
and operates 53 hydroelectric powerplants
would be known for its infrastructure.
But there is another dynamic to Reclamation’s legacy
that is the foundation for why we are today –
but potentially doesn’t get the prominent mention it deserves.
That is the Reclamation public servant –
and our partners who shoulder the work
with us.
Now, I'd especially like to thank
the State of California
and especially, my friend and partner,
Director
Karla Nemeth.
So, today, I’m honored to serve with the nearly 6,000
Reclamation professionals.
who strive day in and day out to accomplish our mission.
We are a part of a rich history of Americans
renowned for harnessing cutting edge technology,
who inspired our nation through the Great Depression
and World War II – and continue to sustain the life
and livelihood of the American West today.
And we stand on the shoulders of the thousands who came before us for the past 120 years.
It's the people of Reclamation.
who have brought us here today.
It is our partnerships with the states, tribes and stakeholders who have collaborated,
compromised – and in some ways sacrificed
to ensure that we met the challenges of the era.
And from 1902,
the idea of working together,
has been fundamental to how we fulfill our mission.
And working with our partners
and serving the American people
and the communities of the American West
is how Reclamation will continue to overcome these challenges.
President Kennedy noted that unique characteristic of this project
when leading the original groundbreaking ceremony in 1962.
And he stressed the uniqueness of this project
related to the federal, state, and local partnerships
that came together to make it happen.
I would be remiss if I didn't recognize the hardships
California is facing
due to climate change
and the historic drought.
I remain optimistic in our ability to address the challenges –
because of the legacy we celebrate today
and the contemporary resources we now bring.
The B.F. Sisk modification stands as an example of that.
The $100 million project
will add safety features and maintain critical water supply
deliveries to south of Delta CVP and State Water Project service contractors.
The investment builds
on water supply security for California communities,
farmers, ranchers, and wildlife refuges,
and helps the system better adapt to a changing climate.
With the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
$500 million will be available
for critical Dam Safety projects
like B.F. Sisk.
This is the work that must be done to mitigate
the changes that we are seeing in the future.
And we must work together
to secure a future in which an adequate supply of water is a reality –
rather than a vision.
In closing, I'd like to call on the words of President Kennedy
delivered during his inauguration speech.
In addressing the challenges ahead of his administration, he said:
"All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days.
Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days,
not in the life of this administration,
nor even perhaps in the lifetime of this planet,
but let us begin.
Today, let's commence this critical work on the B.F. Sisk Dam,
celebrate 120 years of successfully managing water in the West,
and begin
building Reclamation’s legacy for the next 120 years.
Happy birthday Reclamation and congratulations to all of our partners!
[clapping]