[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 9, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E617-E618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF THE NON-FEDERAL RESERVOIR OPERATIONS IMPROVEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 9, 2018

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, as we in the San Joaquin Valley know, ``food 
grows where water flows.''
  We also know the ravages of drought and are the first communities in 
California to experience drought's harmful effects.
  For over 30 years, I have worked to strengthen water supply 
reliability for the San Joaquin Valley and throughout California.
  While I was in the California Legislature, I authored the legislation 
to create the Kern County Water Bank, led 2 water bonds and helped to 
pass 2 others, providing more than $2 billion dollars to improve 
California's water system and provide for safe, reliable drinking 
water.
  In Congress, I have secured approval of the Madera Irrigation 
District Water Bank, the San Luis Intertie, and the North Valley 
Regional Recycled Water Project, bringing hundreds of thousands of 
acre-feet of more secure water to the San Joaquin Valley.
  I also worked on a bipartisan basis to pass the Water Infrastructure 
Improvements for the

[[Page E618]]

Nation, or WIIN Act, which was signed into law in December of 2016 and 
increased pumping flexibility to move water throughout the state and 
provided over $355 million dollars for water infrastructure projects, 
including matching federal funds for new surface storage in California.
  In all of my time working to improve the lives of the people of the 
Valley, rarely have I been presented with a project with such obvious 
potential as raising the spillway gates at New Exchequer Dam.
  Water impounded behind New Exchequer Dam provides irrigation water 
for agriculture in Merced County, groundwater replenishment for several 
nearby communities, and environmental benefits for fisheries and 
wildlife refuges downstream of the dam.
  Recently, Merced Irrigation District performed a detailed analysis of 
the hydrology of the watershed upstream of New Exchequer Dam and found 
that by raising the spillway gates 8 feet, Lake McClure could hold an 
additional 57,000 acre-feet without impeding the Merced River's Wild 
and Scenic River designation.
  However, in order to move forward with raising the spillway gates, 
the flood control and operations manual for New Exchequer Dam must be 
updated, a responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineers.
  Unfortunately, this manual is based on data that dates back to 1959, 
when New Exchequer Dam was being constructed.
  Army Corps of Engineers policy requires that flood control manuals be 
updated to reflect new data and changes to a project.
  In 2017, Merced Irrigation District wrote to the Army Corps 
requesting a revision of the flood control manual, which was last 
updated in 1981.
  The Army Corps indicated that it could not update the manual at this 
time, citing budgetary constraints.
  Merced Irrigation District proposed to pay for the public process to 
update the flood control manual to incorporate the new hydrologic data.
  The Army Corps responded by saying that it didn't have the legal 
authority to accept funds for this purpose for a non-federal Section 7 
project like New Exchequer, despite being able to do so for Corps 
facilities.
  The Non-Federal Reservoir Operations Improvement Act would resolve 
this disparity by allowing the owners of non-federal reservoirs that 
are regulated by the Army Corps to contribute funds to update their 
flood control manuals.
  It's a very commonsense, targeted change to law that will improve the 
water supply reliability in Merced County.

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