Facility named after Randy Record, long-time leader in San Jacinto Valley, who promoted conservation, water recycling, reliability of imported water
SAN JACINTO – A 13-mile tunnel that helps bring water hundreds of miles from the Colorado River to Southern California was named today in honor of Metropolitan Water District’s former board chair and longtime director Randy Record.
Officials and family members gathered at the 16-foot-tall portal of the San Jacinto tunnel to celebrate the naming of the facility after Record, who represented the Eastern Municipal Water District on Metropolitan’s Board of Directors for two decades.
“We are naming this facility today after a fixture in our region’s history – someone who guided us through some of the most dire challenges we’ve faced as an agency and put us on a positive trajectory for the future” said Metropolitan board Director Gloria D. Gray, who served as chair following Record.
Record’s tenure on Metropolitan’s board from 2003 to 2022 included serving as Chair from 2014 to 2018, during which time he guided the agency through some of the most severe drought conditions in California’s history. These years saw record-breaking temperatures, the driest year on record at the time, and significant water restrictions, making his leadership essential in navigating the crisis.
“I value the time I spent on the Metropolitan board and the work we achieved collectively to help ensure our communities have the water they need,” Record said. “My family and I are honored that the Metropolitan board took action to name the tunnel after me.”
Record oversaw the widespread growth of Metropolitan’s Turf Replacement Program, which led to significant outdoor water savings and changed the landscape of Southern California by incentivizing businesses and residents to replace their lawns with more water-efficient landscaping. He also led the agency as it broke ground on the Pure Water Southern California demonstration facility to test the possibility of a new large-scale water recycling program for the region – a project that has now advanced to the environmental planning phase. And in the face of challenges and criticism, he maintained his support for modernizing California’s water delivery system with new conveyance infrastructure across the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
“Our board has some big decisions ahead as we adapt to climate change and determine how we will share dwindling water resources with a growing Southwest,” said Metropolitan General Manager Deven Upadhyay. “The leadership of Chair Record put us on the path to overcoming these challenges and shows what we can accomplish when we meet the moment with courage, persistence and collaboration.”
The San Jacinto Tunnel is an engineering feat that required a crew of 1,200 men and an array of machinery working around the clock for nearly six years to bore the 13-mile tunnel through San Jacinto Mountain. The inside of the mountain was laced with underground streams and springs, and the work was repeatedly interrupted by water seeping into and even flooding the excavation. Despite these obstacles, the tunnel was completed in 1939 and less than two years later, in June 1941, Metropolitan began delivering Colorado River water to its member agencies.
In addition to his work with Metropolitan, Record has been an influential figure in both the agricultural and urban water sectors. As a long-time advocate for water recycling and collaboration, he fostered relationships between the agricultural and urban water communities, helping to build a future based on shared understanding and trust.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provides water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
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