To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a feasibility study with respect to the Mokelumne River, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4045) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a feasibility study with respect to the Mokelumne River, and for other purposes, 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 H.R. 4045.

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

Mr. Speaker, this legislation, authored by the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Resources, the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), helps resolve a growing water supply problem in San Joaquin County, California. The area's water supplies are being depleted because of rapid population growth, highly significant groundwater overdraft, and saline intrusion. This situation grows worse every day.

This has prompted San Joaquin County officials to seek a more dependable and reliable water supply through extensive water development and planning studies.

H.R. 4045 authorizes limited Federal assistance to complete this effort. The project study authorized in this legislation will examine ways to capture flood flows from an area river in order to develop up to 65,000 new acre feet of water. The study will also determine whether or not the project construction is even feasible, since current water rights on the river, economic factors, and potential environmental impacts will be examined.

As passed by the Committee on Resources, this legislation also expressly protects State water law and current permits and agreements on the river.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will help provide a much needed solution to a growing water problem, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

(Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in favor of H.R. 4045. In San Joaquin County, California, water supplies are being depleted. The region suffers from highly significant groundwater overdraft and saline intrusion. This bill provides a much needed solution to this growing problem.

H.R. 4045 authorizes $3 million in federal funding to complete studies that will examine additional surface water supplies, and improve water supply reliability and environmental protection for the Bay-Delta Region.

The project's multi-year evaluation would involve the participation and cooperation of a wide range of regional stakeholders and would provide information important to statewide water resource and environmental protection efforts.

Areas that will be aided by this bill include Stockton, Lodi, Lockeford, Clements, Waterloo, Farmington, Linden, Wallace, Camp Seco and Valley Springs.

A clean, safe water supply is essential to sustain our growing communities. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, this bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to work with local interests to study possible projects to stabilize groundwater levels in San Joaquin County in California.

I appreciate the efforts made by the chairman of the Committee on Resources and the author of this bill, the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), to accommodate the concerns of neighboring water users. Section 2 of the bill was amended in committees to allow the participation of the East Bay Municipal Utility District as this project goes through the planning stages.

We have no objection to passage of this legislation.

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