[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 89 (Tuesday, July 11, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7336-S7338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:
  S. 3638. A bill to encourage the Secretary of the Interior to 
participate in projects to plan, design, and construct water supply 
projects and to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study 
and Facilities Act to encourage the design, planning, and construction 
of projects to treat impaired surface water, reclaim and reuse impaired 
groundwater, and provide brine

[[Page S7337]]

disposal in the State of California; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
to authorize water recycling and other water supply projects by the 
Inland Empire Utilities Agency, the Cucamonga Valley Water District, 
the Western Municipal Water District, the Yucaipa Valley Water 
District, and the City of Corona Water Utility. These projects will 
produce approximately 161,000 acre-feet of new water annually in one of 
the most rapidly growing regions in the United States, reducing the 
need for imported water from the Colorado River and northern California 
through the California Water Project.
  This legislation is intended to be the companion to two House of 
Representatives bills: H.R. 802, sponsored by David Dreier, Grace 
Napolitano, Ken Calvert, Joe Baca, and Gary Miller; and H.R. 1008, 
sponsored by Ken Calvert, Jerry Lewis, Joe Baca and Darrell Issa. H.R. 
802 and H.R. 1008 have each passed the House of Representatives twice, 
in both this Congress and the previous Congress.
  Environmental groups such as the Mono Lake Committee, Environmental 
Defense, Clean Water and Natural Resources Defense Council strongly 
support the water recycling and groundwater remediation projects in 
this bill. Business leaders such as Southern Cal Edison and Building 
Industry Association also support these projects.
  I would like to describe the projects in this bill:
  The Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling Initiative would authorize 
two project components. The first 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.
  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.
  The next project is Western Municipal Water District's Riverside-
Corona Feeder. Western provides supplemental water to a 510 square mile 
area of growing western Riverside County and serves a population of 
more than one-half million people. As a member of the Metropolitan 
Water District of Southern California--MWD--Western provides 
supplemental water to the cities of Corona, Norco, and Riverside and 
the water agencies of Elsinore Valley and Rancho California. Western 
also serves customers in the unincorporated areas of El Sobrante, Eagle 
Valley, Temescal Creek, Woodcrest, Lake Mathews, and March Air Reserve 
Base.
  The purpose of the Riverside--Corona Feeder water supply project is 
to capture and store new water in wet years in order to increase firm 
water supplies, reduce water costs, and improve water quality. The 
project will include about 20 wells and 28 miles of pipeline. Studies 
have shown the safe annual yield of the aquifer is about 40,000 acre-
feet.
  The project would allow locally stored water to replace imported 
water from Colorado River and the State project sources in times of 
drought or other shortages. The project proposes to manage the ground 
water levels by the construction of ground water wells and pumping 
capacity to deliver the pumped ground water supply to water users. A 
new water conveyance pipeline is also proposed that will serve western 
Riverside County.
  There are also very important environmental remediation aspects of 
the project. Up to half of the wells could be placed within plumes of 
VOCs and perchlorate. These wells would remediate about 20,000 acre-
feet of currently contaminated water per year.
  Next, the city of Corona Water Recycling and Reuse Project will 
consist of three reservoirs and two pump stations along with 
retrofitted user irrigation systems.
  Additionally, 27 miles of pipelines will separate recycled water from 
drinking water. The reclamation system will enable the city of Corona 
to provide recycled water to parks, landscape maintenance districts, 
schools, landscaped freeway frontages and any other project that does 
not require potable water. It will also reduce the need for increased 
water imports and construction of additional drinking water 
infrastructure.
  Finally, the Yucaipa Valley Water Supply Renewal Project will 
maximize the various water resources in the Yucaipa Valley. Federal 
funds would be used to provide federal assistance for planning, 
designing, and constructing the new Yucaipa Valley Regional Water 
Filtration Facility that is part of the renewal project. The new 
facility will contain a reverse osmosis system and a brine pipeline to 
remove salinity, contaminants, and organic compounds from the water 
supply in the Yucaipa Valley. The brine pipeline will extend nearly 20 
miles to the existing Santa Ana Regional Interceptor brine pipeline.
  This project will minimize the amount of water imported from northern 
California, maximize the use of higher quality water, reduce 
withdrawals from ground water supplies, and provide a long-term, 
drought-proof water supply. The full project is expected to reduce 
demands on the California State Water Project by over 4 billion gallons 
per year, which is a sufficient quantity of water for 27,000 families.
  I want to say a few words about the importance of water recycling 
projects.
  The development of recycled water can bring significant amounts of 
water ``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.
  Water recycling is also a bipartisan initiative in California, as 
witnessed by the many Republican and Democratic House cosponsors of the 
House versions of the bill I introduce today.
  It also has a long history. In 1991, the Secretary of the Interior in 
President George H.W. Bush's administration, Manual Lujan, recognized 
that California would need an alternative water supply source because 
it was receiving more water from the Colorado River than its 
allocation.
  In a bold and farsighted maneuver, in August 1991, Secretary Lujan 
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.
  Congress, in 1992, was completing work on major water legislation saw 
the wisdom of the Lujan initiative too. Lujan's proposal, 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 the essential water supply 
element in Albuquerque, Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City, Tucson, El 
Paso, San Antonio, Portland, and other western metropolitan areas.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill to help meet the West's 
water supply needs and to reduce our dependence on the Colorado River. 
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3638

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``The Water 
     Recycling and Riverside-Corona Feeder Act of 2006''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

     TITLE I--THE INLAND EMPIRE REGIONAL WATER RECYCLING INITIATIVE

Sec. 102. Short title.
Sec. 103. Inland Empire and Cucamonga Valley recycling projects.

[[Page S7338]]

      TITLE II--PROJECTS IN RIVERSIDE AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES

Sec. 201. Planning, design, and construction of the Riverside-Corona 
              Feeder.
Sec. 202. Project authorizations.

     TITLE I--THE INLAND EMPIRE REGIONAL WATER RECYCLING INITIATIVE

     SEC. 102. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``The Inland Empire Regional 
     Water Recycling Initiative''.

     SEC. 103. INLAND EMPIRE AND CUCAMONGA VALLEY RECYCLING 
                   PROJECTS.

       (a) Recycling Projects.--The Reclamation Wastewater and 
     Groundwater Study and Facilities Act (Public Law 102-575, 
     Title XVI; 43 U.S.C. 390h et seq.) is amended by adding at 
     the end the following:

     ``SEC. 1637. 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. 1638. 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.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendments.--The table of sections in 
     section 2 of Public Law 102-575 is amended by inserting after 
     the item relating to section 1636 the following:

``Sec. 1637. Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling Program
``Sec. 1638. Cucamonga Valley Water Recycling Project''.

      TITLE II--PROJECTS IN RIVERSIDE AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES

     SEC. 201. PLANNING, DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE 
                   RIVERSIDE-CORONA FEEDER.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, in 
     cooperation with the Western Municipal Water District, may 
     participate in a project to plan, design, and construct a 
     water supply project, the Riverside-Corona Feeder, which 
     includes 20 groundwater wells and 28 miles of pipeline in San 
     Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California.
       (b) Agreements and Regulations.--The Secretary may enter 
     into such agreements and promulgate such regulations as are 
     necessary to carry out this section.
       (c) Federal Cost Share.--
       (1) Planning, design, construction.--The Federal share of 
     the cost to plan, design, and construct the project described 
     in subsection (a) shall be the lesser of 35 percent of the 
     total cost of the project or $50,000,000.
       (2) Studies.--The Federal share of the cost to complete the 
     necessary planning study associated with the project 
     described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 50 percent of 
     the total study cost.
       (d) In-Kind Services.--In-kind services performed by the 
     Western Municipal Water District shall be considered a part 
     of the local cost share to complete the project described in 
     subsection (a).
       (e) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary under this 
     section shall not be used for operation or maintenance of the 
     project described in subsection (a).

     SEC. 202. PROJECT AUTHORIZATIONS.

       (a) In General.--The Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 
     Study and Facilities Act (Public Law 102-575, title XVI; 43 
     U.S.C. 390h et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 163X. YUCAIPA VALLEY REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY RENEWAL 
                   PROJECT.

       ``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in cooperation with 
     the Yucaipa Valley Water District, may participate in the 
     design, planning, and construction of projects to treat 
     impaired surface water, reclaim and reuse impaired 
     groundwater, and provide brine disposal within the Santa Ana 
     Watershed described in the report submitted under section 
     1606.
       ``(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 or 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. 163X. CITY OF CORONA WATER UTILITY, CALIFORNIA, WATER 
                   RECYCLING AND REUSE PROJECT.

       ``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in cooperation with 
     the City of Corona Water Utility, California, is authorized 
     to participate in the design, planning, and construction of, 
     and land acquisition for, a project to reclaim and reuse 
     wastewater, including degraded groundwaters, within and 
     outside of the service area of the City of Corona Water 
     Utility, California.
       ``(b) Cost Share.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
     project authorized by this section shall not exceed 25 
     percent of the total cost of the project.
       ``(c) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not provide funds 
     for the operation and maintenance of the project authorized 
     by this section.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendments.--The table of sections in 
     section 2 of Public Law 102-575 is amended by inserting after 
     the item relating to section 163_ the following:

``Sec. 163x. Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Supply Renewal Project
``Sec. 163x. City of Corona Water Utility, California, water recycling 
              and reuse project''.
    

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