Arthur V. Watkins Dam Enlargement Act of 2005

Madam Speaker, of all of the water-related bills that the Resources Committee has discussed, in my opinion this is still the best dam bill that we have, which would expand the growth of the Arthur Watkins Dam and Willard Bay.

Yesterday the Science Committee produced several bills that came to this body to try and help with the issue of drought. That was the purpose of this bay and dam in 1957 when it was produced, to make sure that we can provide adequate water resources for agriculture, and the growing population in the State of Utah.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member, and specifically the staff and the subcommittee chairman for bringing this bill to the floor, and to fulfill my commitment to the majority leader, I promised as soon as we passed this bill to get a haircut, no later than Tuesday of next week.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3626, the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Enlargement Act of 2005. In terms of water-related bills, this is one of the best dam bills the Committee on Resources has considered this year. H.R. 3626 will authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study which will consider enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins dam. In my home county of Box Elder, Utah, this facility is better known as Willard Bay.

Willard Bay is a popular recreation facility, drawing in outdoor enthusiasts from all over Utah. It is known for its great fishing, water skiing and beaches. Willard Bay is the furthest downstream facility operated by the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. The first phase was constructed between 1957 and 1964, with additional improvements being made as recent as the last decade. Willard Bay is an important water storage facility in my state and district. With its 215,000 acre feet capacity, the water resource in Willard Bay meets the culinary and recreational needs of hundreds of thousands of my constituents in the Top of Utah.

As the population of Northern Utah grows, the need for additional water storage capacity is acute. Utah recently emerged from a 5 year period of drought. Winter of 2005-2006 was favorable and helped to recharge our reservoirs, lakes and aquifers. However, being in the Intermountain West, there's no guarantee that every year will be a good water year. In the high deserts of Utah, every drop of water counts.

The water engineers of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District are the brightest and hardest working individuals in their field. They have figured out how to use almost every drop of water in the reservoir. However, it is disconcerting to look out over the reservoir during the hot summer months, when there is a drought, and not see any water in the reservoir. By studying the feasibility to increase the storage capacity, we will hopefully be in a better position to meet the water needs of our people, in the next decade.

The administration testified in favor of H.R. 3626 at a congressional hearing last November. H.R. 3626 was subsequently discharged from the House Committee on Resources on a voice vote. It is a good bill and much needed by my constituents. I appreciate Chairman Pombo and his staff for their excellent work in bringing this dam bill--the best of all of them--to the floor today.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3626) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin Project, Utah, to provide additional water for the Weber Basin Project to fulfill the purposes for which that project was authorized, as amended.

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

Madam Speaker, H.R. 3626 introduced by our colleague the esteemed Rob Bishop from Utah begins the effort to expand water storage in northern Utah to meet growing demands.

This legislation authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to look at the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam for this purpose. I commend Mr. Bishop for introducing this forward-thinking and bipartisan bill. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop), the author of the legislation.

(Mr. BISHOP of Utah asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, we too support passage of this legislation, encourage its adoption, and yield back the reminder of our time.