[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 27, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H7654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ARTHUR V. WATKINS DAM ENLARGEMENT ACT OF 2005

  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3626) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study 
the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin 
Project, Utah, to provide additional water for the Weber Basin Project 
to fulfill the purposes for which that project was authorized, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3626

       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 ``Arthur V. Watkins Dam 
     Enlargement Act of 2005''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Arthur V. Watkins Dam is a feature of the Weber Basin 
     Project, which was authorized by law on August 29, 1949.
       (2) Increasing the height of Arthur V. Watkins Dam and 
     construction of pertinent facilities may provide additional 
     storage capacity for the development of additional water 
     supply for the Weber Basin Project for uses of municipal and 
     industrial water supply, flood control, fish and wildlife, 
     and recreation.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF FEASIBILITY STUDY.

       The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 
     Reclamation, is authorized to conduct a feasibility study on 
     raising the height of Arthur V. Watkins Dam for the 
     development of additional storage to meet water supply needs 
     within the Weber Basin Project area and the Wasatch Front. 
     The feasibility study shall include such environmental 
     evaluation as required under the National Environmental 
     Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and a cost 
     allocation as required under the Reclamation Project Act of 
     1939 (43 U.S.C. 485 et seq.).

     SEC. 4. COST SHARES.

       (a) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the costs of the 
     study authorized in section 3 shall not exceed 50 percent of 
     the total cost of the study.
       (b) In-Kind Contributions.--The Secretary shall accept, as 
     appropriate, in-kind contributions of goods or services from 
     the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. Such goods and 
     services accepted under this section shall be counted as part 
     of the non-Federal cost share for the study.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
     $1,000,000 for the Federal cost share of the study authorized 
     in section 3.

     SEC. 6. SUNSET.

       The authority of the Secretary to carry out any provisions 
     of this Act shall terminate 10 years after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Pearce) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 3626 introduced by our colleague the esteemed Rob 
Bishop from Utah begins the effort to expand water storage in northern 
Utah to meet growing demands.
  This legislation authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to look at the 
feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam for this purpose. I 
commend Mr. Bishop for introducing this forward-thinking and bipartisan 
bill. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, we too support passage of this legislation, 
encourage its adoption, and yield back the reminder of our time.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop), the author of the legislation.
  (Mr. BISHOP of Utah asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Madam Speaker, of all of the water-related bills 
that the Resources Committee has discussed, in my opinion this is still 
the best dam bill that we have, which would expand the growth of the 
Arthur Watkins Dam and Willard Bay.
  Yesterday the Science Committee produced several bills that came to 
this body to try and help with the issue of drought. That was the 
purpose of this bay and dam in 1957 when it was produced, to make sure 
that we can provide adequate water resources for agriculture, and the 
growing population in the State of Utah.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member, 
and specifically the staff and the subcommittee chairman for bringing 
this bill to the floor, and to fulfill my commitment to the majority 
leader, I promised as soon as we passed this bill to get a haircut, no 
later than Tuesday of next week.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3626, the Arthur V. 
Watkins Dam Enlargement Act of 2005. In terms of water-related bills, 
this is one of the best dam bills the Committee on Resources has 
considered this year. H.R. 3626 will authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a feasibility study which will consider enlarging 
the Arthur V. Watkins dam. In my home county of Box Elder, Utah, this 
facility is better known as Willard Bay.
  Willard Bay is a popular recreation facility, drawing in outdoor 
enthusiasts from all over Utah. It is known for its great fishing, 
water skiing and beaches. Willard Bay is the furthest downstream 
facility operated by the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. The 
first phase was constructed between 1957 and 1964, with additional 
improvements being made as recent as the last decade. Willard Bay is an 
important water storage facility in my state and district. With its 
215,000 acre feet capacity, the water resource in Willard Bay meets the 
culinary and recreational needs of hundreds of thousands of my 
constituents in the Top of Utah.
  As the population of Northern Utah grows, the need for additional 
water storage capacity is acute. Utah recently emerged from a 5 year 
period of drought. Winter of 2005-2006 was favorable and helped to 
recharge our reservoirs, lakes and aquifers. However, being in the 
Intermountain West, there's no guarantee that every year will be a good 
water year. In the high deserts of Utah, every drop of water counts.
  The water engineers of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District are 
the brightest and hardest working individuals in their field. They have 
figured out how to use almost every drop of water in the reservoir. 
However, it is disconcerting to look out over the reservoir during the 
hot summer months, when there is a drought, and not see any water in 
the reservoir. By studying the feasibility to increase the storage 
capacity, we will hopefully be in a better position to meet the water 
needs of our people, in the next decade.
  The administration testified in favor of H.R. 3626 at a congressional 
hearing last November. H.R. 3626 was subsequently discharged from the 
House Committee on Resources on a voice vote. It is a good bill and 
much needed by my constituents. I appreciate Chairman Pombo and his 
staff for their excellent work in bringing this dam bill--the best of 
all of them--to the floor today.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3626, 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.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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