San Jacinto Tunnel named in honor of Randy Record, former board chair, director and longtime water industry leader

From left, Director Gloria D. Gray, former Chair Randy Record, Chair Adán Ortega, Jr. and Director Anthony Fellow during the March 13 ceremony dedicating the San Jacinto Tunnel in Record's honor.

Metropolitan has named the San Jacinto Tunnel, a key link bringing Colorado River water to Southern California, in honor of former board chair and longtime director Randy Record. 

During the March 13 ceremony outside the 16-foot-tall tunnel portal, Metropolitan leaders praised Record for his deep understanding of water, his commitment to collaboration and his leadership during one of the most severe droughts in California's recorded history.

“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 Director Gloria D. Gray, who served as board chair following Record.

Record’s tenure on Metropolitan’s board from 2003 to 2022 included serving as chair from 2014 to 2018. During his term he oversaw the widespread growth of Metropolitan’s Turf Replacement Program. 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. 

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 through San Jacinto Mountain. The 13-mile tunnel marks the end of Metropolitan's Colorado River Aqueduct and the point at which Colorado River water enters the agency's 5,200 square-mile service area. Read the press release.

Metropolitan funds innovative stormwater capture project in Anaheim

The project is part of Metropolitan’s Stormwater Pilot Program, which provides funding for water agencies to develop, monitor and assess stormwater projects across the district’s service area to help Metropolitan better understand the water supply benefits of stormwater capture. Read the press release.

“This project is just one more example showing the transformation of Metropolitan – in addition to importing water, we’re taking measures to adapt to the changing climate through local actions like studying the benefits of stormwater capture.”

Metropolitan board Chair Adán Ortega, Jr.

Four projects to reengineer Metropolitan’s water delivery system to provide greater delivery flexibility during droughts are advancing. The projects will allow the agency to pump water from the Wadsworth Pumping Plant at Metropolitan's Diamond Valley Lake – the largest reservoir in Southern California – to the agency's Rialto Pipeline, which serves parts of eastern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County.

These projects – the Inland Feeder-Rialto Pipeline Intertie, the Inland Feeder-Foothill Pump Station Intertie, the Badlands Tunnel Surge Protection and the Wadsworth Pump Pass Bypass Line – will allow Metropolitan to bring additional water to areas that are heavily dependent on supplies from the State Water Project.



The Badlands Tunnel Surge Protection facility is a safeguard for the Inland Feeder Badlands Tunnel in the event of a sudden loss of power as water is being pumped from Diamond Valley Lake northward. The facility is scheduled to be completed this summer. Watch this video to learn more. 

New video highlights key engineering components for the Delta Conveyance Project

Watch the latest Delta Conveyance Project video introducing the engineering components for this state initiative. The DCP is intended to modernize the State Water Project, increase the long-term reliability of water deliveries and make the State Water Project more resilient to climate extremes, sea-level rise and earthquakes.

Last year, Metropolitan’s board voted to fund its share of the DCP's environmental planning and pre-construction project costs in 2026 and 2027. The State Water Project delivers water from the northern Sierra to communities across California, providing about 30% of the water used in Southern California.