[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 81 (Tuesday, June 2, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H6020-H6021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY WATER RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT 
                              ACT OF 2009

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 1393) to amend the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water 
Resources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000 to authorize 
additional projects and activities under that Act, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1393

       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 ``Lower Rio Grande Valley 
     Water Resources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF ADDITIONAL PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES 
                   UNDER THE LOWER RIO GRANDE WATER CONSERVATION 
                   AND IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

       (a) Additional Projects.--Section 4(a) of the Lower Rio 
     Grande Valley Water Resources Conservation and Improvement 
     Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-576; 114 Stat. 3067) is amended 
     by adding at the end the following:
       ``(20) In Cameron County, Texas, Bayview Irrigation 
     District No. 11, water conservation and improvement projects 
     as identified in the March 3, 2004, engineering report by NRS 
     Consulting Engineers at a cost of $1,425,219.
       ``(21) In the Cameron County, Texas, Brownsville Irrigation 
     District, water conservation and improvement projects as 
     identified in the February 11, 2004, engineering report by 
     NRS Consulting Engineers at a cost of $722,100.
       ``(22) In the Cameron County, Texas Harlingen Irrigation 
     District No. 1, water conservation and improvement projects 
     as identified in the March 2004 engineering report by Axiom-
     Blair Engineering at a cost of $4,173,950.
       ``(23) In the Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County 
     Irrigation District No. 2, water conservation and improvement 
     projects as identified in the February 11, 2004, engineering 
     report by NRS Consulting Engineers at a cost of $8,269,576.
       ``(24) In the Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County 
     Irrigation District No. 6, water conservation and improvement 
     projects as identified in an engineering report by Turner 
     Collie Braden, Inc., at a cost of $5,607,300.
       ``(25) In the Cameron County, Texas, Adams Gardens 
     Irrigation District No. 19, water conservation and 
     improvement projects as identified in the March 2004 
     engineering report by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of 
     $2,500,000.
       ``(26) In the Hidalgo and Cameron Counties, Texas, Hidalgo 
     and Cameron Counties Irrigation District No. 9, water 
     conservation and improvement projects as identified by the 
     February 11 engineering report by NRS Consulting Engineers at 
     a cost of $8,929,152.
       ``(27) In the Hidalgo and Willacy Counties, Texas, Delta 
     Lake Irrigation District, water conservation and improvement 
     projects as identified in the March 2004 engineering report 
     by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $8,000,000.
       ``(28) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo County 
     Irrigation District No. 2, a water conservation and 
     improvement project identified in the engineering reports 
     attached to a letter dated February 11, 2004, from the 
     district's general manager, at a cost of $5,312,475.
       ``(29) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo County 
     Irrigation District No. 1, water conservation and improvement 
     projects identified in an engineering report dated March 5, 
     2004, by Melden and Hunt, Inc. at a cost of $5,595,018.
       ``(30) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo County 
     Irrigation District No. 6, water conservation and improvement 
     projects as identified in the March 2004 engineering report 
     by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $3,450,000.
       ``(31) In the Hidalgo County, Texas Santa Cruz Irrigation 
     District No. 15, water conservation and improvement projects 
     as identified in an engineering report dated March 5, 2004, 
     by Melden and Hunt at a cost of $4,609,000.
       ``(32) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Engelman Irrigation 
     District, water conservation and improvement projects as 
     identified in an engineering report dated March 5, 2004, by 
     Melden and Hunt, Inc. at a cost of $2,251,480.
       ``(33) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Valley Acres Water 
     District, water conservation and improvement projects as 
     identified in an engineering report dated March 2004 by 
     Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $500,000.
       ``(34) In the Hudspeth County, Texas, Hudspeth County 
     Conservation and Reclamation District No. 1, water 
     conservation and improvement projects as identified in the 
     March 2004 engineering report by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a 
     cost of $1,500,000.
       ``(35) In the El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County Water 
     Improvement District No. 1, water conservation and 
     improvement

[[Page H6021]]

     projects as identified in the March 2004 engineering report 
     by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $10,500,000.
       ``(36) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Donna Irrigation 
     District, water conservation and improvement projects 
     identified in an engineering report dated March 22, 2004, by 
     Melden and Hunt, Inc. at a cost of $2,500,000.
       ``(37) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo County 
     Irrigation District No. 16, water conservation and 
     improvement projects identified in an engineering report 
     dated March 22, 2004, by Melden and Hunt, Inc. at a cost of 
     $2,800,000.
       ``(38) The United Irrigation District of Hidalgo County 
     water conservation and improvement projects as identified in 
     a March 2004 engineering report by Sigler Winston, Greenwood 
     and Associates at a cost of $6,067,021.''.
       (b) Inclusion of Activities To Conserve Water or Improve 
     Supply; Transfers Among Projects.--Section 4 of such Act 
     (Public Law 106-576; 114 Stat. 3067) is further amended by 
     redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (e), and by 
     inserting after subsection (b) the following:
       ``(c) Inclusion of Activities To Conserve Water or Improve 
     Supply.--In addition to the activities identified in the 
     engineering reports referred to in subsection (a), each 
     project that the Secretary conducts or participates in under 
     subsection (a) may include any of the following:
       ``(1) The replacement of irrigation canals and lateral 
     canals with buried pipelines.
       ``(2) The impervious lining of irrigation canals and 
     lateral canals.
       ``(3) Installation of water level, flow measurement, pump 
     control, and telemetry systems.
       ``(4) The renovation and replacement of pumping plants.
       ``(5) Other activities that will result in the conservation 
     of water or an improved supply of water.
       ``(d) Transfers Among Projects.--Of amounts made available 
     for a project referred to in any of paragraphs (20) through 
     (38) of subsection (a), the Secretary may transfer and use 
     for another such project up to 10 percent.''.

     SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR LOWER RIO 
                   GRANDE CONSTRUCTION.

       Section 4(e) of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources 
     Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-576; 
     114 Stat. 3067), as redesignated by section 2(b) of this Act, 
     is further amended by inserting before the period the 
     following: ``for projects referred to in paragraphs (1) 
     through (19) of subsection (a), and $42,356,145 (2004 
     dollars) for projects referred to in paragraphs (20) through 
     (38) of subsection (a)''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) and the gentleman from Colorado 
(Mr. Lamborn) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and to add extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1393 amends the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water 
Resources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2009 to authorize the 
construction of several water conservation projects in Cameron, 
Hidalgo, Willacy, Hudspeth, and El Paso Counties in Texas. I commend 
the bill's sponsor, Mr. Hinojosa, for bringing this measure to our 
attention. I urge the passage of this noncontroversial bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAMBORN. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1393. The Democratic bill 
manager has adequately explained this bill, which has passed the House 
in the last two Congresses in one form or another.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I now want to yield as much time as he 
might consume to the sponsor of the bill, to my classmate, Mr. Ruben 
Hinojosa of Texas.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from my wonderful 
congressional class of 1996 for giving me this time and opportunity to 
speak about an issue that is very important to us in Texas.
  I rise in strong support of H.R. 1393, a bill that will authorize a 
variety of water conservation projects, including several in my 
congressional district in Texas and other projects all the way up to El 
Paso.
  I want to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Hastings for 
bringing the legislation to the floor.
  I represent a region of the country that is subject to periodic 
droughts but yet is experiencing phenomenal population growth. When I 
came to Congress in 1997, we had 7 years of drought that made it 
impossible for our farmers to be able to make a profit. The 2000 census 
showed that the population of Hidalgo County, in my congressional 
district, increased by 48 percent. The 2010 census is expected to show 
a very similar growth of 48 to 50 percent.
  On the Mexican side of the border, millions have come to work in the 
maquiladoras to take advantage of the economic boom that has come from 
NAFTA. This growth has placed an enormous strain on water delivery 
systems along the Texas-Mexico border.
  Agriculture irrigation water often flows through open dirt ditches, 
and studies show that much is lost to seepage. Much of it is also lost 
to evaporation. Municipalities rely on the water from the irrigation 
delivery systems to meet the water needs of growing communities.
  This bill, H.R. 1393, will authorize 19 projects that will allow 
border water districts to continue upgrading and modernizing our 
antiquated water delivery systems through the installation of water 
pipes--PVC pipes and canal linings. That is what we have been doing 
during the last 10 years, saving anywhere from 38 to 42 percent of 
water that we would have lost to seepage and evaporation. Similar 
projects were authorized in the 106th and 107th Congresses. This 
identical bill was passed in the 109th and 110th Congresses, but it has 
always stalled in the Senate. I am hoping that the third time is the 
charm.
  We have already made a great deal of progress because this has been a 
collaborative effort. The irrigation districts have provided matching 
funds. The Texas Water Development Board and Texas A&M University have 
paid for many of the engineering studies. Federal appropriators have 
provided close to $20 million for previously authorized projects. These 
funds are being put to good use. Numerous projects are already under 
way, and some are almost completed.
  Mr. Speaker, as a result, we are seeing a water savings of as high as 
80 percent in the projects that have been completed. When the metering 
system is fully installed, irrigation districts have a much clearer 
picture of water usage and of water savings. This type of investment is 
bringing us the state of the art in irrigation systems in agricultural 
regions like the ones we have in deep south Texas. This data will be 
vital to improving water management throughout our region.
  Most importantly, Federal authorization has allowed us to tap into 
the resources of the North American Development Bank. To date, NADBank 
has approved almost $24 million for these kinds of projects, and the 
passage of H.R. 1393 will make these new projects eligible for NADBank 
assistance.
  In closing, I wish to say that, as south Texas moves back into a 
drought cycle, I urge my colleagues to support this critical 
legislation. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support 
H.R. 1393.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, at this point, I will yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I yield back the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1393.
  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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