[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16125-16126]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   INCREASING CEILING ON FEDERAL SHARE OF ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, 
                   REGIONAL WATER RECLAMATION PROJECT

  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1156) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 
Study and Facilities Act to increase the ceiling on the Federal share 
of the costs of phase I of the Orange County, California, Regional 
Water Reclamation Project.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1156

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

     SECTION 1. INCREASE IN CEILING ON FEDERAL SHARE OF WATER 
                   RECLAMATION PROJECT.

       Section 1631(d) of the Reclamation Wastewater and 
     Groundwater Study and Facilities Act (43 U.S.C. 390h-13(d)) 
     is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and 
     inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (3)''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) The Federal share of the costs of the project 
     authorized by section 1624 shall not exceed $80,000,000.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth).


                             General Leave

  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1156, the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1156, introduced by the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Loretta Sanchez), increases the authorized Federal cost ceiling of 
the phase I Regional Water Reclamation Project in Orange County, 
California, by $60 million.
  Local project sponsors have expressed a desire to expand the 
groundwater replenishment system, which injects highly treated 
wastewater blended with other sources of water into the local 
groundwater aquifer. This project will provide an additional water 
supply for future use and create a freshwater barrier to prevent 
seawater intrusion.
  The project reduces the region's dependency on imported water 
supplies and provides drought-proofing safeguards.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as many of my colleagues know, the Colorado River Basin 
is now experiencing the worst

[[Page 16126]]

drought in 500 years. H.R. 1156 authorizes a modest increase in Federal 
financial support to expand water recycling in southern California's 
Orange County water district.
  There is a strong Federal interest in completing this project, as it 
will help reduce the amount of water that now must be imported from the 
Colorado River. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for introducing 
this important legislation.
  I urge support for H.R. 1156.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the 
gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1156, a bill that I authored. 
I am pleased to see that the bill is on the Suspension Calendar today, 
and I thank the leadership for putting it on today's calendar.
  H.R. 1156 would increase the authorized Federal share for the Orange 
County, California, groundwater replenishment system from $20 million 
to $80 million. This will allow Orange County to complete its 
innovative groundwater replenishment system. The groundwater 
replenishment system will serve about 2.3 million residents of north 
and central Orange County, and it will create a new water supply of 
72,000 acre-feet per year. It is basically a recycling program, a very 
innovative one; and many States and nations around the world have come 
to Orange County to look at our tertiary cleaning system that we have.
  What this bill does is to increase the Federal share of the project, 
bringing it closer to the 25 percent level, the level at which almost 
every other reclamation project is funded in the Reclamation Wastewater 
and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act of 1992 and the Reclamation 
Cycling and Water Conservation Act.
  The project is not just important to Orange County, California, but 
is important to the entire western United States because by recycling 
our own water, we would not rely so heavily on the Colorado River 
Aqueduct or the San Francisco Bay Delta water.
  Members from both sides of the aisle recognize the need for this 
project, and I would like to particularly recognize the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Gary G. Miller) for his cosponsorship and his continued 
support. The gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller) is also 
offering H.R. 142 today, authorizing the Interior Secretary to 
participate in Inland Empire water projects; and I am pleased to be a 
cosponsor of that, and I urge my colleagues to support that as well.
  At the same time, I would like to thank the Committee on Resources 
chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo); the ranking 
member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall); as well as the 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Water and Power, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Calvert); and the ranking member, the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Napolitano) for their overwhelming support of H.R. 
1156.
  I would also like to say in a very bipartisan manner, the rest of the 
Orange County delegation, including the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Cox), the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), and the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), have been strong supporters of 
H.R. 1156; and I thank them as well.
  Lastly, let me thank Denis Bilodeau, Virginia Grebbien, Craig Miller, 
and everyone affiliated with the Orange County Water District and 
Orange County Sanitation District for their hard work and leadership in 
groundwater recycling. Their innovation has put Orange County in the 
forefront of water recycling and groundwater replenishment technology. 
I thank them for their continued support.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers; I yield 
back the remainder of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1156.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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