[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 16 (Friday, January 26, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S1239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CONRAD (for himself and Mr. Dorgan):
  S. 409. A bill to provide environmental assistance to non-Federal 
interests in the State of North Dakota; to the Committee on Environment 
and Public Works.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Water 
Infrastructure Revitalization Act, which authorizes $60 million through 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assist communities in North Dakota 
with water supply and treatment projects.
  Imagine if you went to turn on your kitchen faucet one day and no 
water came out. This scenario became true for thousands in the 
communities of Fort Yates, Cannonball, and Porcupine just days before 
Thanksgiving in 2003. The loss of drinking water forced the closure of 
schools, the hospital and tribal offices for days. About 170 miles 
upstream, the community of Parshall faces similar water supply 
challenges as the water level on Lake Sakakawea continues to drop, 
leaving its intake high and dry. These and other communities in the 
State have faced significant expenditures in extending their intakes to 
ensure a continued supply of water. In addition, the city of Mandan 
faces the prospect of constructing a new horizontal well intake because 
changes in sediment load and flow as a result of the backwater effects 
of the Oahe Reservoir have caused significant siltation problems that 
restrict flow into the intake. These examples barely scratch the 
surface of the problems faced by many North Dakota communities in 
maintaining a safe, reliable water supply.
  Since 1999, the Corps of Engineers has been authorized to design and 
construct water-related infrastructure projects in several different 
States including Wisconsin, Minnesota and Montana. The State of North 
Dakota confronts water infrastructure challenges that are just as 
difficult as those in these other States. In fact, many of these 
challenges are caused directly by the Corps of Engineers's operations 
of the Missouri River dams. As a result, it is only appropriate that 
the Corps be part of the solution to North Dakota's water needs.
  The Water Infrastructure Revitalization Act would provide important 
supplemental funding to assist North Dakota communities with water-
related infrastructure repairs. Under the act, communities could use 
the funding for wastewater treatment, water supply facilities, 
environmental restoration and surface water resource protection. 
Projects would be cost shared, with 75 percent Federal funding and 25 
percent non-Federal in most instances. However, the bill reduces the 
financial burden on local communities if necessary to ensure that water 
rates do not exceed the national affordability criteria developed by 
the Environmental Protection Agency.
  This bill is not intended to compete with or take away funds for the 
construction of rural water projects under the Dakota Water Resources 
Act. Instead, it is meant to provide important supplemental funding for 
communities that are not able to receive funding from the Dakota Water 
Resources Act. It is my hope that this authorization will be included 
as part of the Water Resources Development Act.
  I ask my colleagues to support this legislation to address an 
important issue in North Dakota.
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