[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 10, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H7443-H7444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CENTRAL OKLAHOMA MASTER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT FEASIBILITY STUDY

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1337) to provide for a feasibility study of alternatives to 
augment the water supplies of the Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy 
District and cities served by the District, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1337

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CENTRAL OKLAHOMA MASTER CONSERVATORY DISTRICT 
                   FEASIBILITY STUDY.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) Thunderbird Lake, located on Little River in central 
     Oklahoma, was constructed in 1965 by the Bureau of 
     Reclamation for flood control, water supply, recreation, and 
     fish and wildlife purposes;
       (2) the available yield of Thunderbird Lake is allocated to 
     the Central Oklahoma Master Conservatory District, which 
     supplies municipal and industrial water supplies to the 
     cities of Norman, Midwest City, and Del City, Oklahoma; and
       (3) studies conducted by the Bureau during fiscal year 2003 
     indicate that the District will require additional water 
     supplies to meet the future needs of the District, including 
     through--
       (A) the drilling of additional wells;
       (B) the implementation of a seasonal pool plan at 
     Thunderbird Lake;
       (C) the construction of terminal storage to hold wet-
     weather yield from Thunderbird Lake;
       (D) a reallocation of water storage; and
       (E) the importation of surplus water from sources outside 
     the basin of Thunderbird Lake.
       (b) Study.--Beginning no later than 1 year after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Commissioner of the Bureau of 
     Reclamation shall conduct a feasibility study of alternatives 
     to augment the water supplies of the Central Oklahoma Master 
     Conservatory District and cities served by the District, 
     including recommendations of the Commissioner, if any.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Commissioner of the Bureau of 
     Reclamation $900,000 to conduct the study under subsection 
     (b).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SARBANES. 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 Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the purpose of H.R. 1337, introduced by our colleague, 
Congressman Tom Cole of Oklahoma, is to direct the Commissioner of the 
Bureau of Reclamation to conduct a feasibility study on alternatives to 
augment the water supplies of the Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy 
District and cities served by the district.
  The Norman Project was constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation for 
municipal and industrial water supply, flood control, recreation, and 
fish and wildlife purposes in central Oklahoma. Population growth in 
the area is increasing pressure on already constrained water supplies, 
and the demand for water is expected to surpass the supply that the 
Norman Project in its present form can provide.
  A preliminary report on alternative measures to augment water 
supplies at Lake Thunderbird has already been completed. The report 
concluded that a need exists to improve municipal and industrial water 
supplies from the Norman Project and that a number of alternatives are 
available to meet that need. A feasibility study is required to fully 
evaluate all the alternatives. H.R. 1337 directs the Bureau of 
Reclamation to conduct such a study.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1337.
  This bill, which I authored, provides for a water feasibility study 
to ascertain additional sources of water for the Central Oklahoma 
Master Conservancy District, which serves the cities of Norman, Midwest 
City, and Del City, Oklahoma. This bill provides limited Federal 
assistance, with the Conservancy District providing a local 50/50 match 
and demonstrating their dedication to this critical initiative. This 
legislation will help address and alleviate the water challenges facing 
these three cities. I would like to commend and sincerely thank all the 
parties involved in working hard to help see this bill pass into public 
law.
  The primary source of water for the Conservancy District is Lake 
Thunderbird, completed in 1965 by the Bureau of Reclamation. 
Incidentally, since 1988 one of the cities serviced by the Conservancy 
District, Norman, Oklahoma, has on numerous occasions exceeded their 
annual share of Lake Thunderbird's supplies. As a result, Norman has 
been forced to pull additional water from its original water source 
used before Lake Thunderbird was built and create an emergency supply 
line from

[[Page H7444]]

nearby Oklahoma City. Recognizing that the projected demand on water 
supply will only increase as these three cities grow in population, the 
Conservancy District is taking proactive steps to find long-range 
solutions to their water needs.
  In 2003, working with the Conservancy District and recognizing the 
water strain in central Oklahoma, Congress provided the Bureau of 
Reclamation with funding for an initial water study, which it completed 
in August of 2005. This appraisal explores and proposes much-needed 
viable opportunities to enhance the current and long-term water supply 
of the Conservancy District. I introduced H.R. 1337 both at the behest 
of the Conservancy District and in the same spirit that Congress 
previously funded the building of Lake Thunderbird and the appraisal 
investigation: to facilitate the long-term vitality and well-being of 
the citizens served by the Conservancy District and, as an extension, 
the vitality and well-being of Oklahoma as a whole. It is important to 
note, Mr. Speaker, that the Conservancy District provides waters for 
more than 175,000 residents, meaning that no fewer than one out of 
every four of my constituents stands to benefit from this study.
  Mr. Speaker, I sincerely appreciate the chairman and ranking member's 
diligent work on this bill, and I strongly urge support and passage of 
H.R. 1337.

                              {time}  1445

  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1337, as amended.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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