[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 7, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S1711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH:
  S. 512. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study 
the feasibility of enlaring 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; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, not long ago, Utahns suffered a long and 
devastating drought, from which we have not fully recovered. The 
drought has instilled in us the need to plan for the future and ensure 
sound management of our water resources. For that reason, I rise to 
introduce an important bill that will help make better use of Utah's 
scarce water supply.
  The Arthur V. Watkins Dam Enlargement Act of 2007 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 bill would 
give the Bureau of Reclamation access to the dam to study it and make 
adjustments as necessary to cater to the ever growing needs of Utah 
citizens. This is no ordinary dam. It is roughly 14 miles long and 
encloses a reservoir containing more than 200,000 acre-feet of water.
  Thousands of Utahns 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. In my view, 
expanding the dam is a simple and inexpensive way to increase water 
storage capacity in an area that desperately needs it.
  Moreover, last year, the Watkins Dam began to leak slightly. If the 
dam were to breach, it would flood many hundreds of acres of farm and 
grazing land, which would spell an agricultural disaster. This 
legislation would provide the resources and the opportunity to address 
quickly that looming problem, as well.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 512

       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 2007''.

     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

     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.).
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