Clair A. Hill: Aquafornia Water Word of the Week
In the news recently has been the 50th anniversary celebration Sept. 28, 2013, of President John F. Kennedy’s dedication of the Clair A. Hill Whiskeytown Dam. The Water Education Foundation’s Aquapedia has the back story if you’re curious about the man behind the name of this Central Valley Project facility in Redding.
Aquafornia’s Water Word of the Week from sister site Aquapedia is Clair A. Hill, whose bio is included in the Historical Water People section of the Foundation’s free online water encyclopedia.
“Clair A. Hill (1909-1998), a self-made engineer nicknamed ‘California’s Mr. Water,’ built from the ground up an engineering firm that would merge to form the global consulting firm of CH2M HILL,” according to the Aquapedia entry. “In 1938 in his hometown of Redding along the Upper Sacramento River in Northern California, he founded Clair A. Hill & Associates. … An internationally renowned engineer, he was recognized as a major contributor to California’s water supply planning and management. He had a 32-year tenure on the California Water Commission, serving 18 years as its chairman, and was named an honorary life member. While on the commission, he signed California’s original state water plan.”
The year 2012 marked the 35th anniversary of the Foundation, which produced a special video tribute to the notable figures in water that have passed away, including Clair A. Hill. Watch the Foundation’s video on YouTube.
In addition to bios about historical water people, Aquapedia also features more than 200 definitions on water terms from A to Z, videos, photos, a directory of water interests, and a Useful Acronyms section.