[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2554 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2554

To increase water storage availability at the New Melones Reservoir to 
provide additional water for areas served below the reservoir, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 27, 2013

  Mr. Denham introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To increase water storage availability at the New Melones Reservoir to 
provide additional water for areas served below the reservoir, 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. WARREN ACT CONTRACT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Interior shall develop and 
offer to the Oakdale Irrigation District and the South San Joaquin 
Irrigation District (hereafter in this section referred to as the 
``districts'') a contract enabling the districts to collectively 
impound and store up to 100,000 acre-feet of their superior Stanislaus 
River water rights in the New Melones Reservoir in accordance with the 
terms and conditions of sections 1 through 3 of the Act of February 21, 
1911 (43 U.S.C. 523-525; commonly known as the ``Warren Act'').
    (b) Terms and Conditions.--The terms and conditions of any contract 
entered into under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) be for a term of not less than 10 years; and
            (2) expressly provide that--
                    (A) the districts may use any water impounded and 
                stored in the New Melones Reservoir for any legal 
                purpose under California law, including use within the 
                boundaries of either district, transfer to and 
                reasonable and beneficial use by a person or entity not 
                located within the boundaries of either district, and 
                for instream use in the Stanislaus River, the San 
                Joaquin River, or the Sacramento-San Joaquin River 
                Delta; and
                    (B) any water impounded and stored by either 
                district shall not be released or withdrawn if the 
                storage level of the New Melones Reservoir is below 
                1,000,000 acre-feet, but in such event the impounded 
                and stored water shall be retained in the New Melones 
                Reservoir for use by the districts in the following 
                year, subject to the same 1,000,000 acre-foot minimum 
                storage requirement, and without additional payment 
                being required.
    (c) Conservation Account.--Any water impounded and stored in the 
New Melones Reservoir by either district under the contract shall not 
be considered or accounted as water placed in the districts' 
conservation account, as that account is defined and explained in the 
August 30, 1988 Stipulation and Agreement entered into by and between 
the Bureau of Reclamation and the districts.
                                 <all>