[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E47]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SAN JOAQUIN RIVER RESTORATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DEVIN NUNES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 8, 2003

  Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to take the first of many steps 
to improve the water situation in the San Joaquin Valley of California. 
Today, the San Joaquin Valley continues to face a water crisis in which 
our water supplies have become inadequate to meet expanding needs. 
Demands by domestic users, industry, and environmental needs continue 
to grow with no relief in sight. One of my top priorities in Congress 
is to address this water crisis and begin the long process of 
constructing much needed water storage for the Central Valley.
  Today, I have introduced the San Joaquin River Restoration Act which 
will take the first step to construct a major storage facility on the 
Upper San Joaquin River. This legislation directs the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of increasing 
water storage capability on the Upper San Joaquin River. Furthermore, 
this legislation directs the Secretary to investigate the feasibility 
of increasing power generation, improving water supply reliability and 
quality, improving water management efficiency, and improving ecosystem 
function and flood control on the river in the area of Temperance Flat.
  This new storage capability on the San Joaquin River will go a long 
way to meet the needs of the 15,000 farmers in Madera, Fresno, Tulare, 
and Kern counties. While my efforts to increase storage capacity on the 
San Joaquin River are vitally important to our water future, it must be 
part of a larger water storage plan. In the coming decades, the growth 
in our Valley will only worsen our water crisis. Now is the time to 
increase our water storage and efficiency for the future. I look 
forward to working with my colleagues on the San Joaquin River 
Restoration Act.

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