To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Prado Basin Natural Treatment System Project, to authorize the Secretary to carry out a program to assist agencies in projects to construct regional brine lines in California, and to authorize the Secretary to participate in the Lower Chino Dairy Area desalination demonstration and reclamation project.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 142, legislation I have sponsored to dramatically improve the water supply reliability of the Santa Ana watershed and the water basins in San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties. I thank Committee Chairman Pombo and Water Subcommittee Chairman Calvert for recognizing the importance of this bill to providing innovative solutions to the challenges posed by chronic water shortages in Southern California.

Many states today are faced with the formidable task of providing reliable and safe water resources for a rapidly increasing population. This is no exception to California and its growing population of more than 30 million people. Southern California's arid climate makes it difficult for this region to find variable and dependable sources of water. The Interior Department's ruling to reduce the availability of Colorado River water to Southern California has exacerbated the area's water supply problems by reducing approximately 700,000 acre

feet of water this year alone. Such water supply deficiencies discourage economic growth, imperil the environment and compromise the health and safety of Southern California residents.

As a result of dwindling supplies and increasing demands, communities continue to seek non-traditional methods to produce dependable water sources, including through water recycling and desalination. H.R. 142 would enhance Southern California's water supply by constructing a water recycling project, a desalination demonstration and reclamation project, and a regional brine lines project. Upon full implementation, these projects will create an estimated 50,000 new acre feet of water annually for the region.

prado basin natural treatment system

H.R. 142 will provide Southern California with additional new water annually through the construction of a water recycling project. The Prado Basin Natural Treatment System will naturally treat the Santa Ana River flow through wetlands development. By assisting Mother Nature in the creation of these wetlands, we will improve the water quality of the Santa Ana River, thereby recharging the Orange County Water District's groundwater basin.

Currently-constructed wetlands have demonstrated an ability to reduce nitrate contaminants to level that permit water supply use. The expanded program will result in more than 1,200 acres to treat three tributaries to the Santa Ana River. This will mean additional treated water that can be made available to the citizens of the region. The new system will help drought-proof the region and protect against salt water intrusion. In addition, the restoration of natural wetlands allows for the amount of water to be stored behind the currently underutilized Prado Dam to be increased.

In a region that is prone to droughts, the expansion of this water supply will deliver non-potable (non-drinkable) water for irrigation and industrial purposes so that our limited supply of potable water can be reserved for drinking water purposes.

lower chino dairy area desalination demonstration and reclamation

project

H.R. 142 expands groundwater desalination in the Chino Basin from the current 9,000 acre feet per year to 40,000 acre feet per year, which would provide a vital new drinking water supply for a rapidly increasing population in San Bernardino County, including Jurupa Community Services District, Santa Ana Mutual Water Company in Riverside County, and the cities of Norco, Chino, Chino Hills and Ontario in San Bernardino County.

As former President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, ``We need a farsighted program for meeting urgent water needs by converting saltwater to fresh water.'' Once deemed impractical and costly, desalination has evolved into one of America's most effective and reliable solutions to water supply shortages. Desalination provides drinking water directly into the delivery system and is blended with other sources of potable water in many cases. The construction of a desalination demonstration and reclamation project in the Lower Chino Dairy Area offers a viable method of meeting the region's water supply needs into the future.

basin natural treatment system project

One of the main challenges to desalination is the transport of the salts, also known as brine, to outfall stations. H.R. 152 seeks to address this obstacle by providing a means to safely and efficiently discard excess brine from desalination plants. Specifically, this legislation calls for the construction of a regional line to transport excess brine to the Pacific Ocean, where it can be safely filtered through an ocean-outfall pump station. This will prevent many of the environmental hazards that can occur from inadequate disposal of excess brine, thus protecting groundwater reserves for the over six million resident of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

These projects will help ensure the water needs of Southern California's communities are met, and I urge my colleagues to support this critical legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1156, a bill that I authored. I am pleased to see that the bill is on the Suspension Calendar today, and I thank the leadership for putting it on today's calendar.

H.R. 1156 would increase the authorized Federal share for the Orange County, California, groundwater replenishment system from $20 million to $80 million. This will allow Orange County to complete its innovative groundwater replenishment system. The groundwater replenishment system will serve about 2.3 million residents of north and central Orange County, and it will create a new water supply of 72,000 acre-feet per year. It is basically a recycling program, a very innovative one; and many States and nations around the world have come to Orange County to look at our tertiary cleaning system that we have.

What this bill does is to increase the Federal share of the project, bringing it closer to the 25 percent level, the level at which almost every other reclamation project is funded in the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act of 1992 and the Reclamation Cycling and Water Conservation Act.

The project is not just important to Orange County, California, but is important to the entire western United States because by recycling our own water, we would not rely so heavily on the Colorado River Aqueduct or the San Francisco Bay Delta water.

Members from both sides of the aisle recognize the need for this project, and I would like to particularly recognize the gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller) for his cosponsorship and his continued support. The gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller) is also offering H.R. 142 today, authorizing the Interior Secretary to participate in Inland Empire water projects; and I am pleased to be a cosponsor of that, and I urge my colleagues to support that as well.

At the same time, I would like to thank the Committee on Resources chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo); the ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall); as well as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Water and Power, the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert); and the ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano) for their overwhelming support of H.R. 1156.

I would also like to say in a very bipartisan manner, the rest of the Orange County delegation, including the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox), the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), and the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), have been strong supporters of H.R. 1156; and I thank them as well.

Lastly, let me thank Denis Bilodeau, Virginia Grebbien, Craig Miller, and everyone affiliated with the Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District for their hard work and leadership in groundwater recycling. Their innovation has

put Orange County in the forefront of water recycling and groundwater replenishment technology. I thank them for their continued support.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 142) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Inland Empire regional water recycling project, to authorize the Secretary to carry out a program to assist agencies in projects to construct regional brine lines in California, and to authorize the Secretary to participate in the Lower Chino Dairy Area desalination demonstration and reclamation project, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 142, introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller), provides Federal assistance for three water projects to produce dependable water supplies in Southern California. The bill provides for the strategic placement of wetlands to naturally clean surface water in the Santa Ana Watershed. The bill also authorizes Federal funding for the design and construction of a regional brine wastewater pipeline from local groundwater treatment plans. Thirdly, the bill provides for the design and construction of a desalter to treat brackish groundwater. At full build-out, these projects will produce an estimated 50,000 acre-feet of new water.

This legislation, Mr. Speaker, is another example of how communities are utilizing new water technologies to provide water from varied sources of supply that are dependable and drought-proof. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1156) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to increase the ceiling on the Federal share of the costs of phase I of the Orange County, California, Regional Water Reclamation Project.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1156, the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1156, introduced by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez), increases the authorized Federal cost ceiling of the phase I Regional Water Reclamation Project in Orange County, California, by $60 million.

Local project sponsors have expressed a desire to expand the groundwater replenishment system, which injects highly treated wastewater blended with other sources of water into the local groundwater aquifer. This project will provide an additional water supply for future use and create a freshwater barrier to prevent seawater intrusion.

The project reduces the region's dependency on imported water supplies and provides drought-proofing safeguards.

I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers; I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Ms. BORDALLO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, as many of my colleagues know, the Colorado River Basin is now experiencing the worst drought in 500 years. H.R. 1156 authorizes a modest increase in Federal financial support to expand water recycling in southern California's Orange County water district.

There is a strong Federal interest in completing this project, as it will help reduce the amount of water that now must be imported from the Colorado River. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for introducing this important legislation.

I urge support for H.R. 1156.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).