To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Los Angeles County Water Supply Augmentation Demonstration Project, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on April 8, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 2259/H.R. 813, 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 participate in the Lower Chino Dairy Area desalination demonstration and reclamation project, and for other purposes; H.R. 31, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District Wildomar Service Area Recycled Water Distribution Facilities and Alberhill Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Facility Projects; H.R. 716, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Santa Rosa Urban Water Reuse Plan; H.R. 786, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Los Angeles County Water Supply Augmentation Demonstration Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 1140, to authorize the Secretary, in cooperation with the City of San Juan Capistrano, California, to participate in the design, planning, and construction of an advanced water treatment plant facility and recycled water system, and for other purposes; H.R. 1503, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Avra/Black Wash Reclamation and Riparian Restoration Project; H.R. 1725, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Rancho California Water District Southern Riverside County Recycled/Non-Potable Distribution Facilities and Demineralization/Desalination Recycled Water Treatment and Reclamation Facility Project; H.R. 1737, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of permanent facilities for the GREAT project to reclaim, reuse, and treat impaired waters in the area of Oxnard, California; and H.R. 2614, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in certain water projects in California.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to [email protected].

For further information, please contact Michael Connor at (202) 224- 5479 or Gina Weinstock at (202) 224-5684.

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking Mr. Grijalva for being so generous with time. And I would also like to thank Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall and Ranking Member Don Young, as well as Water and Power Subcommittee Chairwoman Grace Napolitano, for recognizing the importance of this bill, H.R. 786, the ``Southern California Water Augmentation Study.''

I would like to especially thank Chairwoman Grace Napolitano for her support on this bill and her leadership in moving it through the Natural Resources Committee.

I became interested in this effort because California and other parts of the country need to move forward on two very important issues. First, we must increase our groundwater drinking supplies. We can do this by improving the safe infiltration of surface water which seeps into the ground. Second, we must reduce urban storm-water runoff that can carry trash and contamination to our beaches and oceans. This water augmentation study addresses both of those issues.

Storm-water currently becomes contaminated by running off rooftops and roads and carrying that pollution into our oceans. Our study is assessing ways to safely absorb that water into the ground where natural purifying processes can take place. This will stem the flow of polluted water into the ocean and safely recharge our groundwater supplies. Simply put, this project is about taking the water that we lose and turning it into water we use.

This study will assess the potential of urban storm-water infiltration to augment our water supplies. It will determine the benefits, costs, and risks of infiltration. It will help us understand what conditions we need to make infiltration work and assess its potential for increasing our drinking water supply. At the same time, it will show us how to reduce water pollution, creating additional environmental and social benefits.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is designed to make southern California more water-self-sufficient and less reliant on imported water from our neighbors in the central and northern parts of our State.

This is a bipartisan effort in which there is agreement on the merits of the project throughout our government. I am very pleased that President Bush has included funding for the water augmentation study in his last four budgets, including this year.

Also, the Bureau of Reclamation has been extremely supportive of this project. In fact, they helped create it in the year 2000 because they see it as helping to solve the real problem we face in California and other, shall I say, ``water-challenged'' areas of the country.

Again, I would like to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Young, as well as the great staff on the

House Resources Committee; and to thank Representative Napolitano for her unyielding support of this bill.

In 1907, Theodore Roosevelt said, ``The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem, it will avail us little to solve all others.'' With your help, Southern California can make significant progress toward improving its water resources management.

I urge approval of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 786) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Los Angeles County Water Supply Augmentation Demonstration Project, and for other purposes.

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

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

The purpose of H.R. 786, sponsored by our colleague from Lakewood, California, Linda Sanchez, is to authorize the Secretary of Interior to participate in the Los Angeles County Water Supply Augmentation Demonstration Project.

The legislation will authorize Federal financial assistance for a unique water reuse and conservation project in the Los Angeles area. The initiative will demonstrate that small-scale neighborhood projects can be built to increase local water supplies and reduce urban runoff pollution. Projects like this can help residents of southern California increase local water supplies, reduce our dependence on imported water from northern California and the Colorado River.

This is an innovative project and a good bill that deserves our support. I congratulate my colleague, Congresswoman Sanchez, for championing this legislation.

In the 109th Congress, the Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing on similar legislation. This legislation was subsequently passed by the House under suspension of the rules.

We strongly support H.R. 786, and I would like, once again, to thank and commend my friend, Linda Sanchez, for her work on this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California, Linda Sanchez.

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

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

H.R. 786 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of a water recharge demonstration project in southern California. To meet the needs of future population growth in this arid region, capturing storm-water runoff and recharging groundwater could substantially increase local water supplies.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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.