[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 126 (Monday, October 3, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S10826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself and Mr. Bennett):
  S. 1812. A bill to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and 
Adjustment Act of 1992 to provide for the conjunctive use of surface 
and ground water in Juab County, Utah; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, in recent years, Utahns have suffered 
through a devastating drought. While it appears that we are beginning 
to return to normal precipitation levels, the drought has instilled in 
all Utahns the need to plan for the future and ensure sound management 
of our water resources. For that reason, I rise to introduce two 
important bills that will help make better use of Utah's scarce water 
supply.
  The first bill is the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Enlargement Act of 2005. 
The bill would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct a 
feasibility study on raising the height of the Arthur V. Watkins Dam in 
Weber County. The dam is roughly 14 miles long and encloses a reservoir 
containing more than 200,000 acre-feet of water.
  Thousands of Utahns currently rely on the water provided by the 
reservoir. And the Weber Basin is one of Utah's fastest growing areas, 
making the need to find additional water resources even more pressing. 
Enlarging the dam would help ensure that the area can meet its ever-
increasing demand for water. In my view, expanding the dam is an easy 
way to increase water storage capacity in an area that desperately 
needs it.
  The next bill I am introducing today, is the Juab County Ground Water 
Study and Development Act of 2005. This legislation would amend the 
Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 2005 to 
include Juab County. It would allow Juab County to use Central Utah 
Project funds to complete water resource development projects, enabling 
the County to better utilize their existing water resources. It will 
ensure that farmers, ranchers, and other citizens of Juab County have a 
reliable water supply.
  Under the original plan for the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah 
Project, several counties in central Utah, including Juab, were to be 
delivered supplemental water through an irrigation and drainage 
delivery system. Over the years, however, many central Utah Counties 
have elected not to participate in the plan and no longer pay the 
requisite taxes to the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, the 
political division of the State of Utah established to manage CUP 
activities in Utah.
  Unlike other central Utah Counties, Juab County remained active in 
the Central Utah Water Conservancy District's efforts and has paid 
property taxes to the District hoping to benefit from its membership. 
Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Presently, most of the water 
allocated to the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project is planned 
for use in Wasatch, Salt Lake, and Utah Counties. This legislation 
would simply ensure that the citizens of Juab County can benefit from 
the system they help support.
  I urge my colleagues to support these bills.
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