CVWD Invites Public To Its 100th Anniversary Party

PALM DESERT, CA - From Coachella Valley Water District: “The Coachella Valley wouldn’t be the center of agriculture & tourism that it is today if not for the actions taken by residents in 1918."

As part of the celebration, the first 100 visitors to The Living Desert will get free admission, courtesy of CVWD.

The party will be held in the Legacy Garden near the new entrance of The Living Desert and will include giveaways, drawings and appetizers. Booths will provide information about CVWD services and about the agriculture and golf industries.

Also at the event, visitors will be able to pose for photographs in costumes reminiscent of the time of CVWD’s founding. At 10 a.m., a replica of CVWD’s water tower in Coachella will be unveiled that will later be installed in the train exhibit at The Living Desert.

CVWD was founded after Coachella Valley residents voted in 1918 in favor of forming the district. The vote was 324 to 49, propelled by a need to protect and conserve local water sources. Since then, the district has grown into a multi-faceted agency that delivers irrigation and domestic water, collects and recycles wastewater, provides regional stormwater protection, replenishes the groundwater basin and promotes water conservation.

“The Coachella Valley wouldn’t be the center of agriculture and tourism that it is today if not for the actions taken by the residents in 1918,” said Katie Evans, director of Communications and Conservation for CVWD. “As we honor the forward-thinking actions from 100 years ago, we invite our community members to celebrate with us at an event that will be both fun and informational.”

The Living Desert is located at 47900 Portola Avenue in Palm Desert.

The public celebration caps off a year of recognition of the anniversary. A special one-year CVWD logo was unveiled by the Board of Directors at its regular meeting on Jan. 9, the exact date of the vote. Throughout the year, numerous organizations and government entities presented the board with proclamations recognizing the history and contributions of CVWD.

CVWD also published a historical book and special edition historical calendar to mark the anniversary year. A free public lecture, “The Story of CVWD: 100th anniversary water lecture,” will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 14 in the Steve Robbins Administration Building, 75515 Hovley Lane East, Palm Desert. The speaker will be multimedia specialist Robert Keeran.

For more information about the history of CVWD, visit www.cvwd.org/100years

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