Bureau of Reclamation manager Jim Cherry retiring

Effective Aug. 30, Jim Cherry will no longer serve as area manager for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region Yuma area Office. He's retiring.

Cherry has been with the USBR for 33 years, the last nine of which have been in Yuma.

"This was my second tour in Yuma. I was here from 1976 to 1991," Cherry said.

Major responsibilities for Cherry have been reclamation projects along the last 275 miles of the Colorado River before it enters Mexico. This includes overseeing all salinity control projects south of Imperial Dam, and the Yuma Desalting Plant.

"One of the newer projects is the Drop 2, creating a reservoir to save water. (Its) location is along I-8 at the old Brock Experimental Farm," Cherry said.

Cherry was born in Michigan and has a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural engineering from Michigan State University. He spent four years with the Peace Corps, designing and installing irrigation systems in Peru and Tunisia.

Next was similar work for private contractors in Sri Lanka for two years, during which time he became fluent in Spanish, French and Arabic.

Cherry transferred from the Department of Agriculture Soil Conservations Service to the USBR, and moved to the Lower Colorado Region Office in Boulder City, Nev., as deputy director of the water, land and power division in 1991.

In 1995 he transferred to Hoover Dam, to oversee operation of the Hoover, Davis and Parker dams on the Lower Colorado.

"While at Hoover, Jim worked with the project's power contractors in participating in a benchmarking study with all hydroelectric power facilities in North America. That effort provided a positive path forward to maximize the dam's production while minimizing operation and maintenance costs," reported Jack Simes, spokesman for USBR. "As the day-to-day manager of Hoover Dam, Jim is also credited for helping increase visitor program revenues from approximately $3 to $9 million dollars over a four-year period."

Cherry leaves the job with several notable awards, including the Secretary of the Interior's Diversity Award, for his accomplishments at Hoover Dam, and recruitment and improving the diversity of the Hoover Dam's police force.

"I'm not leaving Yuma. My wife, Fatma and I are staying here. After all, we're going into the nice season," Cherry said.

"We raised our children here. Our son Sam, and his wife Jamie are in Las Vegas, and daughter, Leila, in San Diego. And, we have a grandson, Benjamin, in Las Vegas, so we'll be visiting them," Cherry said.

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Pam M. Smith can be reached at psmith@yumasun.com or 539-6856.