[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 17, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H3412-H3413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CENTRAL TEXAS WATER RECYCLING ACT OF 2007

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 609) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 
Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
participate in the Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse Project, and 
for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 609

       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 ``Central Texas Water 
     Recycling Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. PROJECT AUTHORIZATION.

       (a) In General.--The Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 
     Study and Facilities Act (Public Law 102-575; 43 U.S.C. 390h 
     et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 16__ the 
     following new section:

     ``SEC. 16__. CENTRAL TEXAS WATER RECYCLING AND REUSE PROJECT.

       ``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in cooperation with 
     the City of Waco and other participating communities in the 
     Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse Project is authorized 
     to participate in the design, planning, and construction of 
     permanent facilities to reclaim and reuse water in McLennan 
     County, Texas.
       ``(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 operation and maintenance of 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 enactment of this section.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections in section 2 
     of Public Law 102-575 is amended by inserting after the item 
     relating to section 16__ the following:

``Sec. 16__. Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse Project.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  We support the passage of H.R. 609 and commend our colleague, 
Representative Chet Edwards, for his persistence and hard work to 
secure authorization for this important project.
  The purpose of this legislation is to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to participate in the Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse 
Project. This project would treat and recycle waste water generated by 
the City of Waco and six neighboring communities. Recycling and reuse 
of this water would decrease the strain on older treatment plants in 
the area and help meet future demands, providing reclaimed water for 
golf courses, landscaping, and other industrial uses.
  The water recycling project identified in this bill will be eligible 
for limited financial assistance from the Bureau of Reclamation's title 
16 water recycling program. Water recycling and desalination projects 
are proven technologies that can help stretch limited water supplies in 
areas such as Texas. The City of Waco is keenly aware that additional 
sources of water will be required to meet future water demands and 
should be commended for looking for sustainable solutions.
  In the 109th Congress, the Subcommittee on Water and Power held a 
hearing on almost identical legislation. This legislation was 
subsequently passed by the House under suspension of the rules.
  I want to express our full support for this legislation. I offer my 
congratulations to Congressman Edwards for his leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  This bill authorizes Federal participation in a water reuse project 
in McLennan County, Texas. As central Texas cities experience rapid 
population growth and increased water demand, these communities are 
being proactive to better utilize their existing water supplies. We 
have no objection to this well-intended bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1300

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), the sponsor of this 
legislation.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, let me first begin by thanking Mr. Grijalva 
for his leadership and for his kind comments about our work together on 
this. Let me also thank Mr. Pearce for his cooperative, bipartisan 
effort. These are the kinds of bills that don't fill up the press 
galleries, but they are certainly important to the folks in our 
communities throughout the country.
  Mr. Speaker, our communities and Nation have a responsibility to be 
good stewards of our water resources. And that is why I introduced H.R. 
609, the Central Texas Water Recycling Act of 2007.
  This bill will authorize an innovative water recycling program in 
partnership with my hometown of Waco, Texas, and several neighboring 
communities. It supports efforts to manage water resources efficiently 
in McLennan County by strategically locating regional satellite 
treatment plants that will not only provide for conservation of our 
community's water supply, but by doing so efficiently, will help reduce 
costs to taxpayers.
  The initial projects under this legislation can provide up to 10 
million gallons of water per day, reuse water, thereby reducing the 
water demand on Lake Waco. Instead of wasting valuable drinking water 
for use in factories and on golf courses in the July and August heat of 
my district, we will be able to use lower-cost recycled wastewater for 
those purposes and save enough drinking water to supply 20,000 
households in central Texas.
  The bottom line is this: Being good stewards of our water supply, we 
will reduce water costs for businesses, save central Texas taxpayers 
millions of dollars, and encourage economic growth in our area.
  I want to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Young for their 
support of this measure; and the subcommittee chairman, Mrs. 
Napolitano, and the ranking subcommittee member, Mrs. McMorris Rodgers, 
for their key role on this bill's passage. This is the kind of 
bipartisan effort, as I mentioned earlier, that shows what Congress can 
do when we work together on a bipartisan basis.
  I also want to thank the mayors, city council, and staff from the 
cities of Waco, Lorena, Robinson, Hewitt, Woodway, Bellmead, and Lacy-
Lakeview for their cooperative efforts that brought us here today.
  Finally, I want to extend special credit to Waco's city manager, 
Larry Groth, a very special friend of mine, for his extraordinary 
leadership on this bill. Without Mr. Groth's leadership, hard work, and 
professionalism, we would not be here today. And as a citizen of Waco, 
I am grateful for his outstanding service to my hometown.
  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H3413]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 609.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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