[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 41 (Monday, April 11, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3420-S3421]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:
  S. 746. A bill to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 
Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
participate in the Inland Empire regional recycling project and in the 
Cucamonga Valley Water District recycling project; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
to authorize the Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling initiative to 
be part of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Title XVI program. These 
water recycling projects will produce approximately 100,000 acre-feet 
of new water annually in one of the most rapidly growing regions in the 
United States.
  The legislation would authorize two project components: the first of 
which will be constructed by the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, IEUA 
and will produce approximately 90,000 acre feet of new water annually. 
The second of these projects, to be constructed by the Cucamonga Valley 
Water District CVWD, will produce an additional 5,000 acre feet of new 
water annually. Combined, approximately 100,000 acre feet of new water 
would be produced locally by 2010, reducing the need for imported water 
from the Colorado River and northern California through the California 
Water Project.
  Significantly, the Federal cost share is only 10 percent of the 
upfront capital costs.
  We must continue to approve measures preventing water supply 
shortages in the Western United States. The Inland Empire region is one 
of the fastest growing areas in the nation. This legislation means that 
the Inland Empire will use less water from the Colorado River and 
northern California, and the bill will have other benefits like 
improved water quality, energy savings, and job creation.
  The development of recycled water has enormous capacity to produce 
significant amounts of water, and have it ``on line'' in a relatively 
short period of time. Recycled water provides our State and region with 
the ability to ``stretch'' existing water supplies significantly and in 
so doing, minimize conflict and address the many needs that exist. 
According to the State of California's Recycled Water Task Force, water 
recycling is a critical part of California's water future with an 
estimated 1.5 million acre-feet of new supplies being developed over 
the next 25 years.
  Today's Commissioner of Reclamation said it best when, in a speech to 
the WateReuse Association he declared that recycled water is ``the last 
river to tap.''
  IEUA produces recycled water for a variety of non-potable purposes, 
such as landscape irrigation, agricultural irrigation, construction, 
and industrial cooling. By replacing these water-intensive applications 
with high-quality recycled water, fresh water can be conserved or used 
for drinking, thereby reducing the dependence on expensive imported 
water.
  As we look into the future, it is appropriate that we are guided by 
lessons from the recent past. In the late 1980's, California confronted 
a sustained, multi-year drought. It was so serious that some observed 
that our State had 6-year-old first graders who had never seen ``green 
grass.'' California faced a crisis and water agencies and water 
districts, particularly in Southern California found a solution--
recycled water.
  In 1991, the Secretary of the Interior in President George H.W. 
Bush's administration, Manual Lujan, recognized that California was 
receiving more water from the Colorado River than its allocation. The 
Interior Secretary looked into the future and saw a day when California 
would get its allocation--4.4. million acre-feet, but no longer would 
it get up to 800,000 acre-feet of ``surplus flows.'' As is well known, 
that day has arrived.

  For any political leader, it's always a tremendous challenge to look 
into the future and design programs and solutions to a crisis. 
Secretary Lujan did exactly that. In August 1991, he launched the 
Southern California Water Initiative, a program to evaluate and study 
the feasibility of water reclamation projects. Mr. Lujan's vision was 
to build replacement water capacity to offset the anticipated Colorado 
River water supply reductions. In this endeavor, Secretary Lujan was 
assisted by then Commissioner of Reclamation Dennis Underwood. Last 
week, Mr. Underwood was selected by the Metropolitan Water District of 
Southern California, MWD, board of directors as their new general 
manager and CEO.
  Congress saw the wisdom of the Lujan initiative too. Congress, in 
1992, was completing work on major water legislation. The Lujan 
initiative, a year after it was first announced, became Title XVI, the 
Bureau of Reclamation water recycling program that today serves the 
entire West, not just California. Today, water recycling is an 
essential water supply element in Albuquerque, Phoenix, Denver, Salt 
Lake City, Tucson, El Paso, San Antonio, Portland and other western 
metropolitan areas.
  The Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling Initiative has the support 
of all member agencies of IEUA, as well as the water agencies 
downstream in Orange County. IEUA encompasses approximately 242 square 
miles and serves the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, through the 
Fontana Water Company, Ontario, Upland, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga 
through the Cucamonga Valley Water District, and the Monte Vista Water 
District.
  This bill is also supported by and fully consistent with the 
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, MWD's Integrated 
Resource Plan, Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, SAWPA's 
Integrated Watershed Plan, and the Chino Basin Watermaster's Optimum 
Basin Management Plan, Inland Empire Utility Agency's Feasibility 
Study, Cucamonga Valley Water District's ``Every Drop Counts'' Urban 
Water Reuse Management Strategy, the Bureau of Reclamation's Southern 
California Comprehensive Water Recycling and Reuse Feasibility Study, 
the State of California's Water Recycling Task Force, the WateReuse 
Association, the Association of California Water Agencies, ACWA and the 
U.S. Department of the Interior's Water 2025 Initiative.
  Environmental groups such as the Mono Lake Committee, Environmental 
Defense, Clean Water and Natural Resources Defense Council strongly 
support recycling projects. Business leaders such as Southern Cal 
Edison and Building Industry Association also support these water 
recycling projects.
  These projects were authorized for feasibility study in Public Law 
102-575, Title XVI, Section 1606, the Southern California Comprehensive 
Water Recycling and Reuse Feasibility Study in 1992. The State of 
California, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, SAWPA 
and others provided $3 million of the $6 million required for the 
regional feasibility study of which these projects were one part.
  Detailed Feasibility Studies and environmentally reports have been 
prepared and approved by both agencies and certified by the State of 
California.
  Congressman David Dreier introduced identical legislation in the 
House in the 108th Congress. The House Resources Committee and then the 
House of Representatives both passed the bill unanimously.
  His bill is cosponsored by Representatives Gary Miller, Grace 
Napolitano, Ken Calvert and Joe Baca.
  And these valuable recycling projects would never have progressed at 
all without the hard work and dedication of Mr. Robert DeLoach, general 
manager of the Cucamonga Valley Water District, and Mr. Rich Atwater, 
CEO and general manager of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I ask unanimous consent 
that the

[[Page S3421]]

text of the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 746

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

     SECTION 1. INLAND EMPIRE AND CUCAMONGA VALLEY RECYCLING 
                   PROJECTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Inland 
     Empire Regional Water Recycling Initiative''.
       (b) In General.--The Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 
     Study and Facilities Act (43 U.S.C. 390h et seq.) is 
     amended--
       (1) by redesignating the second section 1636 (as added by 
     section 1(b) of Public Law 108-316 (118 Stat. 1202)) as 
     section 1637; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 1638. INLAND EMPIRE REGIONAL WATER RECYCLING PROJECT.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the 
     Inland Empire Utilities Agency, may participate in the 
     design, planning, and construction of the Inland Empire 
     regional water recycling project described in the report 
     submitted under section 1606(c).
       ``(b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
     project described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 
     percent of the total cost of the project.
       ``(c) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary shall 
     not be used for operation and maintenance of the project 
     described in subsection (a).
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000.

     ``SEC. 1639. CUCAMONGA VALLEY WATER RECYCLING PROJECT.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the 
     Cucamonga Valley Water District, may participate in the 
     design, planning, and construction of the Cucamonga Valley 
     Water District satellite recycling plants in Rancho 
     Cucamonga, California, to reclaim and recycle approximately 2 
     million gallons per day of domestic wastewater.
       ``(b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
     project described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 
     percent of the capital cost of the project.
       ``(c) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary shall 
     not be used for operation and maintenance of the project 
     described in subsection (a).
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000.''.
       (c) Conforming Amendments.--The table of sections in 
     section 2 of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and 
     Adjustment Act of 1992 (43 U.S.C. prec. 371) is amended by 
     striking the item relating to the second section 1636 (as 
     added by section 2 of Public Law 108-316 (118 Stat. 1202)) 
     and inserting the following:

``Sec. 1637. Williamson County, Texas, Water Recycling and Reuse 
              Project.
``Sec. 1638. Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling Program.
``Sec. 1639. Cucamonga Valley Water Recycling Project.''.
                                 ______