News Release Archive

Reclamation selects Richard Welsh as Principal Deputy Regional Director

Media Contact: Jeff Hawk, 916-978-5100

For Release: December 03, 2019

Richard WelshSACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Bureau of Reclamation announced today the selection of Richard Welsh to assume the newly created position of Principal Deputy Regional Director, serving as the region’s senior technical expert involved in strategic planning, program and project implementation and operations.

Welsh is a professional engineer, possessing a strong technical and leadership background. He will share administrative, technical and management functions with the Regional Director, coordinate with the Deputy Regional Directors, and focus on building relationships and providing technical oversight for the California-Great Basin (CGB) region’s most significant projects.

“During his 34-year tenure with Reclamation, Richard has demonstrated a no-nonsense, get-it-done attitude that has ensured success of some of our most impactful projects to include the billion-dollar Joint Federal Project (JFP) at Folsom Dam near Sacramento,” said Ernest Conant, CGB regional director. “We’re excited to have his vast technical knowledge, deep experience and seasoned relationship-building skills to shepherd large, complex Reclamation water supply, storage, safety of dam and environmental projects.”

Welsh began working for Reclamation in 1985 and has overseen the region’s Construction Office for the past 22 years. His resume includes developing technical, business and economic documents for the JFP; managing the execution of the $275 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act construction contracts, including the completion of the Red Bluff Pumping Plant and Fish Screen; and, serving as Reclamation’s construction representative for the Battle Creek Restoration and Safety of Dam Programs.

Welsh has extensive knowledge of the region’s facilities that deliver water and power to Reclamation’s customers for the Central Valley, Klamath and Lahontan projects. His expansive involvement and interactions with all area and regional offices, including external stakeholders, have given him a broad knowledge and understanding of facilities, their programs and the issues affecting the operations at the various offices.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.