Photo by Reclamation.
Mid-Pacific Region Director Kirk Rodgers retires after 34 years of government service. Rodgers was responsible for one of Reclamation's best-known projects, the California's Central Valley Project, the largest irrigation project in the nation.
Mid-Pacific Regional Director Kirk Rodgers retired
August 3, 2007,
after more than 34 years of government service. In his position as regional director, Rodgers oversaw the management of Reclamation's water
projects in an area encompassing the northern two-thirds of California,
most of northern Nevada and a portion of
southern Oregon.
Appointed regional director in February 2002,
Rodgers was responsible for one of Reclamation's best-known projects, the California's Central
Valley Project , the largest irrigation project in the nation. The CVP provides
urban water for more than 3 million people, irrigation water to more than 3
million acres, industrial water for key economic areas of California
such as the Silicon Valley, and environmental
water for wildlife needs and fishery restoration. It also generates some 5.6
billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
During Rodgers' tenure, several major water-management issues were addressed, including the decision to dedicate 800,000
acre-feet of water for fish and wildlife restoration under the 1992 Central
Valley Project Improvement Act, the release of the CVPIA's Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement, and the beginning of the re-negotiation of
long-term water contracts for CVP water users. Rodgers also oversaw
Reclamation's involvement in CALFED, the largest and most comprehensive water
management effort in the nation.
Rodgers joined Reclamation in July 1973 on the
Minidoka Project in southeastern Idaho.
He came to the Mid-Pacific Region in 1981 as the Regional Property Management officer and was later promoted to the Regional Supply and Services officer.
From July 1987 to September 1992, he was project manager of the Klamath Project
in Klamath Falls, Ore. From October 1992 to March 1996,
Rodgers was the head of the region's Office of Water Policy and Allocation
where he was responsible for implementation of the CVPIA. In March 1996, he was
selected as the assistant regional director. Previously, he had been in Washington, D.C.,
participating in the Department of the Interior's Managers' Development Program
and working on a variety of policy issues.
Rodgers has received numerous career special
service awards during his 30-year career with Reclamation.
He and his wife, Donna, have six
children and 12 grandchildren.