[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4478 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4478

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (the Clean Water Act) 
 to authorize appropriations in each of fiscal years 1994 through 1998 
 for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities to serve U.S. 
  Colonias, to provide water pollution control in the vicinity of the 
      international boundary between the United States and Mexico.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 1994

Mr. Coppersmith (by request) (for himself, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. 
   Pastor, and Mr. Bryant) introduced the following bill; which was 
      referred to the Committee on Public Works and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (the Clean Water Act) 
 to authorize appropriations in each of fiscal years 1994 through 1998 
 for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities to serve U.S. 
  Colonias, to provide water pollution control in the vicinity of the 
      international boundary between the United States and Mexico.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
    Section 1. Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``U.S. 
Colonias Water Pollution Control Act''.
    Sec. 2. Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C.A. sections 1251, et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
thereof the following new section:

``SEC. 220. ASSISTANCE TO U.S. COLONIAS.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to protect the 
economy, public health, environment, surface water, ground water and 
water quality in the U.S. Colonias areas which are endangered and are 
being polluted by raw or partially treated sewage, in furtherance of 
the goals of this Act.
    ``(b) Financial Assistance to U.S. Colonias.--The Administrator is 
authorized to provide financial assistance to any U.S. State along the 
United States-Mexico border, or to any entity designated by the 
President for construction of treatment works to serve U.S. Colonias.
    ``(c) Approval of Plans.--Any U.S. Colonias wastewater treatment 
facility for which financial assistance is provided under this Act 
shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the State 
under appropriate standards required by the Administrator. Such plans 
shall include construction cost estimates and identify responsible 
parties and the appropriate allocation of costs associated with 
operating and maintaining the treatment works.
    ``(d) Federal Share.--The Federal share of construction costs for 
grants to serve Colonias shall be 50 percent to be matched by an equal 
amount of State funds from State sources.
    ``(e) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term `U.S. 
Colonias' means any identifiable community that--
            ``(1) is in the State of Arizona, California, New Mexico, 
        or Texas;
            ``(2) is in the area of the United States within 100 
        kilometers (62 miles) of the border between the United States 
        and Mexico. U.S. Colonias may include a community within a 
        standard metropolitan statistical area that has a population 
        exceeding 1,000,000, but shall not include the entire such 
        standard metropolitan statistical area; and
            ``(3) is determined to be a Colonia on the basis of 
        objective criteria including lack of potable water supply or 
        lack of adequate sewage systems.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the purpose of this section $60,000,000 for 
fiscal year 1994 and $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1995 through 
1998.''.

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