[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 56 (Friday, March 30, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E728]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E728]]
                  MADERA WATER SUPPLY ENHANCEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 30, 2007

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing the Madera 
Water Supply Enhancement Act, which authorizes the Bureau of 
Reclamation to participate in the design and construction of the Madera 
Water Supply and Enhancement Project. This important water bank project 
will help improve water supply in California's San Joaquin Valley.
  The Bureau has completed its final appraisal study and has concluded 
that the Madera water bank will increase water supply, provide 
groundwater resource protection, mitigate the water supply impacts of 
the San Joaquin River restoration project, contribute to habitat 
conservation and have other positive impacts on the severe water supply 
and reliability problem in the area.
  The Project will be located on the over 13,000-acre Madera Ranch, 
where the soils on and underneath the land are ideal for percolating 
water from the surface to the aquifer for storage. The land is also a 
valuable habitat for numerous species and contains large sections of 
the region's native grasslands.
  In the 109th Congress, the Resources Committee held hearings on this 
legislation and the House unanimously passed H.R. 3897, the predecessor 
legislation. There are two changes in this legislation from the bill 
that passed in the last Congress. First, we are immediately authorizing 
construction of the Project without further study. Second, the 
legislation caps the total cost of the Project, limiting the Federal 
government's contribution to 25 percent of total cost, which cannot 
exceed $90 million. We have made these changes for the following 
reasons.
  First, the water supply and reliability problems in the area are, as 
the Bureau has acknowledged, severe. The Bureau's Friant Division is 
falling almost 1 million acre-feet of water per year short in meeting 
its contractual commitments, and groundwater pumping is exceeding 
groundwater recharge by approximately 100,000 acre-feet per year, 
causing severe groundwater level declines. The proposed San Joaquin 
River restoration could reduce Madera's water allocation, already 
insufficient, by an additional 10-20 percent or more. The water bank, 
by storing excess water in wet years, will provide a much needed source 
of water in dry years, facilitate the restoration of groundwater levels 
over time and mitigate the adverse impact on water supply as a result 
of the San Joaquin River restoration project.
  The Madera Irrigation District has already invested over $40 million 
to acquire the land and plan this Project. The region's economic well-
being depends on having a secure, sufficient and reliable water supply. 
We simply cannot continue to delay making the Madera water bank a 
reality.
  Second, the Madera water bank represents a very unique situation. As 
the Bureau stated in the Final Appraisal Report, ``[t]he Madera Ranch 
Groundwater Bank is a project that has been investigated for 
approximately 10 years for its potential to improve water supply 
reliability and reduce groundwater overdraft conditions.'' Over a 
decade ago, the Bureau of Reclamation tried to buy the Madera Ranch and 
build its own water bank. As part of this effort, the Bureau conducted 
extensive studies regarding the feasibility of this Project and 
concluded that the Project was feasible. After the Bureau decided not 
to go forward with the Project because of local opposition, private 
entities conducted further studies with the same positive results. Most 
recently, the Madera Irrigation District has undertaken additional 
costs studies conducted by the same engineering firm that worked for 
the Bureau, further technical studies regarding the Project's 
feasibility and a completed and certified environmental impact study.
  To date, over $8 million has been spent on studies related to the 
Project, not counting the Bureau's own substantial efforts to study the 
feasibility of a water bank at the site. All of this work, including 
four successful pilot tests, has verified that the Project is not only 
feasible, but with a certified Environmental Impact Report in place, 
ready to move immediately to the construction phase, most especially in 
light of the area's water supply problems.
  The legislation lists no fewer than 18 studies and reports regarding 
this Project that have been undertaken over the past 10 years, many of 
which done by the Bureau or with the Bureau's knowledge and 
involvement. Clearly, no further study is required given the urgent 
need and unique history of the Project.
  Third, we recognize that when committing to support a project, the 
Federal government requires assurances regarding the extent of its 
financial commitment. The Madera Irrigation District has already 
evidenced its commitment to the Project by investing to date over $40 
million. The legislation establishes a ceiling of $90 million for the 
total cost of the Project. With the prevailing 25 percent federal cost 
share for such projects, the Federal government's financial commitment 
is limited to $22.5 million or 25 percent of total cost, whichever is 
less.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to expand water 
supply opportunities in California's San Joaquin Valley.

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