[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 870 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 870

 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into contracts to 
   assist the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, California, to 
 implement a Basin Management Plan for the elimination of ground water 
       overdraft and seawater intrusion, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 1997

    Mr. Farr of California introduced the following bill; which was 
                 referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into contracts to 
   assist the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, California, to 
 implement a Basin Management Plan for the elimination of ground water 
       overdraft and seawater intrusion, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds and declares the following:
            (1) A serious ground water overdraft problem exists in the 
        Pajaro Valley of Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties, California.
            (2) The ground water overdraft problem in the Pajaro Valley 
        has resulted in seawater intrusion and water quality 
        degradation.
            (3) Agricultural production is the leading industry in the 
        Pajaro Valley, with gross receipts of more than $460,000,000 in 
        1994.
            (4) The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (in this Act 
        referred to as the ``Agency'') was established by the State of 
        California and the citizens of the Pajaro Valley to eliminate 
        the ground water overdraft and preserve agricultural 
        production.
            (5) The Agency was directed by California statute to 
        develop a comprehensive plan to stabilize ground water supplies 
        in an economically and environmentally acceptable manner.
            (6) The Agency has drafted and approved a comprehensive 
        plan, entitled the ``Basin Management Plan'' and dated November 
        1993, which will, when implemented, stabilize the water 
        resources of the basin and address the problems of overdraft 
        and seawater intrusion by emphasizing water conservation and by 
        developing supplemental sources of water.
            (7) The Secretary of the Interior needs authorization in 
        order to enter into contracts or agreements to assist the 
        Agency in implementing the Basin Management Plan.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION.

    Notwithstanding any provision of law limiting the authority of the 
Secretary to enter into long-term contracts or agreements, the 
Secretary of the Interior is authorized to enter into such contracts or 
agreements as the Secretary shall deem necessary to assist the Pajaro 
Valley Water Management Agency to implement the provisions of the Basin 
Management Plan, dated November 1993, to prevent long-term ground water 
overdraft, land subsidence, and water quality degradation in Santa Cruz 
and Monterey Counties, California.
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