[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 20, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H6799-H6800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CITY OF OXNARD WATER RECYCLING AND DESALINATION ACT OF 2006

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 2334) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and 
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of 
permanent facilities for the GREAT project to reclaim, reuse, and treat 
impaired waters water in the area of Oxnard, California, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2334

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``City of Oxnard Water 
     Recycling and Desalination Act of 2006''.

     SEC. 2. OXNARD, CALIFORNIA, WATER RECLAMATION, REUSE, AND 
                   TREATMENT PROJECT.

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

     ``SEC. __. OXNARD, CALIFORNIA, WATER RECLAMATION, REUSE, AND 
                   TREATMENT PROJECT.

       ``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in cooperation with 
     the City of Oxnard, California, may participate in the 
     design, planning, and construction of Phase I permanent 
     facilities for the GREAT project to reclaim, reuse, and treat 
     impaired water in the area of Oxnard, California.
       ``(b) Cost Share.--The Federal share of the costs of the 
     project described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 
     percent of the total cost.
       ``(c) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not provide funds 
     for the following:
       ``(1) The operations and maintenance of the project 
     described in subsection (a).
       ``(2) The construction, operations, and maintenance of the 
     visitor's center related to the project described in 
     subsection (a).
       ``(d) Sunset of Authority.--The authority of the Secretary 
     to carry out any provisions of this section shall terminate 
     10 years after the date of the enactment of this section.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections in section 2 
     of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act 
     of 1992 is amended by inserting after the last item the 
     following:
       ``Sec. . Oxnard, California, water reclaimation, reuse, and 
           treatment project.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Jones) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise their remarks 
and include extraneous material.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2334, sponsored by Congresswoman Lois Capps, 
authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to participate in a water 
recycling and desalting project with the city of Oxnard, California.
  As water demands grow and supplies become more scarce in southern 
Carolina, this bill will help provide regional water supply solutions 
to the Oxnard Plain. Using an innovative recycling and groundwater 
injection system, this program will provide many regional benefits and 
is designed to help meet the city's water supply needs through the year 
2030. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2334, legislation 
sponsored by the gentlewoman from California, Lois Capps.
  With almost no assistance from the Federal Government, the city of 
Oxnard is making significant improvements to its municipal water 
system. A key part of their project, called the GREAT project, is to 
stretch local water supplies with new projects for desalting and water 
recycling. Especially in our western States, projects

[[Page H6800]]

like this can help cities protect themselves from drought and reduce 
the need to import water from distant reservoirs. H.R. 2334 will make a 
very modest amount of Federal financial help available to help 
construct this project.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2334.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from California, Lois Capps.
  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, my hope is that I can explain and 
demonstrate sufficiently the enthusiasm for this legislation by my 
constituents in the city of Oxnard. I rise in support of H.R. 2334, and 
it is called the Oxnard Water Recycling and Desalination Act.
  First I want to thank Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall for 
their support of this measure. I also want to thank the subcommittee 
chairman, Mr. Radanovich, and Ranking Member Napolitano and their 
staffs for the key role in the bill's passage.
  H.R. 2334 authorizes a regional water resources project. It is named 
the Groundwater Recovery Enhancement and Treatment Act, or, as the 
initials will summarize to, it is the GREAT program, and it is great in 
many ways, located in my congressional district.
  Oxnard, California, as so many communities today, are faced with the 
difficult task of providing reliable and safe drinking water for their 
customers. The city of Oxnard has taken this situation and worked on 
it. It is one of California's fastest growing cities. The water needs 
of the city's agricultural users has exceeded its local water 
resources. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and the region, 
but at the same time many people are moving to the area.
  Now, consequently, over 50 percent of its water has had to be 
imported from outside sources. Recognizing these challenges, Oxnard 
developed the GREAT program to address its long-term water needs, and 
as my colleague, Mr. Kildee from Michigan illustrated, the city itself 
and the surrounding areas grappled with this issue themselves, 
recognizing that they needed to be creative and come up with a solution 
that would meet their needs.
  This GREAT program includes a new regional groundwater desalination 
facility to serve potable water customers in the city of Oxnard. It 
includes a recycled water system to include agricultural water users 
and an added protection against seawater intrusion.
  Finally, it includes a wetlands restoration component that reuses the 
discharges from the groundwater desalination and recycled groundwater 
treatment facilities. It is a full-circle opportunity to take every 
advantage of the water supplies that are there to enhance them and even 
to reuse them.
  Implementation of this GREAT program will provide many significant 
regional benefits. It will reduce the consumption of groundwater for 
agricultural and industrial purposes. It will cut imported delivery 
water requirements, and it will improve local reliability of high-
quality water deliveries. It will also add enormously to the 
restoration of the wetlands in the region.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend this Resources Committee for trying to find 
innovative and effective ways of extending water supplies in the West.

                              {time}  1715

  In my view, the City of Oxnard Water and Desalination Act offers such 
a creative solution.
  Again, I thank the Committee on Resources for supporting this bill, 
and I urge its immediate passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2334, the City of 
Oxnard Water Recycling and Desalination Act.
  First, I want to thank my colleagues from California, the chairman of 
the Resources Committee, Mr. Pombo, the chairman and ranking member of 
the Subcommittee on Water and Power, Mr. Radanovich and Ms. Napolitano, 
as well as the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Rahall, for 
expediting the consideration of this legislation and for bringing H.R. 
2334 before us today.
  H.R. 2334 would authorize a proposed regional water resources 
project--the Groundwater Recovery Enhancement and Treatment or GREAT 
Program--located in my congressional district.
  As you know, many communities today are faced with the difficult task 
of providing reliable and safe water to their customers. The city of 
Oxnard is no exception.
  Oxnard is one the California's fastest growing cities and is facing 
an ever growing crisis: It's running out of affordable water. The water 
needs for the city's agricultural and industrial base, together with 
its growing population, has exceeded its local water resources. 
Consequently, over 50 percent of its water has to be imported from 
outside sources.
  However, through a series of local, State and Federal restrictions 
the amount of imported water available to the city is shrinking, while 
the cost of that water is rising. Recognizing these challenges, Oxnard 
developed the GREAT Program to address its long term water needs.
  The GREAT Program elements include: a new regional groundwater 
desalination facility to serve potable water customers in Oxnard and 
adjacent communities; a recycled water system to serve agricultural 
water users, and added protection against seawater intrusion and 
saltwater contamination; and a wetlands restoration and enhancement 
component that efficiently reuses the brine discharges from both the 
groundwater desalination and recycled water treatment facilities.
  Implementation of the GREAT Program will provide many significant 
regional benefits.
  First, the new desalination component will serve ratepayers in Oxnard 
and adjacent communities, guaranteeing sufficient water supplies for 
the area.
  Second, Oxnard's current water infrastructure delivers approximately 
30 million gallons of treated wastewater per day to an ocean outfall. 
The GREAT Program will utilize the resource currently wasted to the 
ocean and treat it so that it can be reused by the agricultural water 
users in the area.
  During the non-growing season, it will inject the resources into to 
the groundwater to serve as a barrier against seawater intrusion and 
saltwater contamination. To alleviate severely depressed groundwater 
levels, this component also includes pumping groundwater into the 
aquifer to enhance groundwater recharge.
  Finally, the brine produced as a by-product of the desalination and 
recycling plants will provide a year-round supply of nutrient rich 
water to the existing wetlands at Ormond Beach.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the Resources Committee for trying to find 
innovative and effective ways of extending water supplies in the West. 
In my view, the city of Oxnard Water Recycling and Desalination Act 
offers such a creative solution. It will reduce the consumption of 
groundwater for agricultural and industrial purposes, cut imported 
water delivery requirements, and improve local reliability of high 
quality water deliveries.
  Again, I would like to thank the Committee on Resources for 
supporting this bill, and urge its immediate passage.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2334, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``a bill to amend 
the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to 
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, 
planning, and construction of permanent facilities for the GREAT 
project to reclaim, reuse, and treat impaired waters in the area of 
Oxnard, California.''
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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