[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6660-6661]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ARTHUR V. WATKINS DAM ENLARGEMENT ACT

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 839) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the 
feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin Project, 
Utah, to provide additional water for the Weber Basin Project to 
fulfill the purposes for which that project was authorized.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 839

       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 ``Arthur V. Watkins Dam 
     Enlargement Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Arthur V. Watkins Dam is a feature of the Weber Basin 
     Project, which was authorized by law on August 29, 1949.
       (2) Increasing the height of Arthur V. Watkins Dam and 
     construction of pertinent facilities may provide additional 
     storage capacity for the development of additional water 
     supply for the Weber Basin Project for uses of municipal and 
     industrial water supply, flood control, fish and wildlife, 
     and recreation.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF FEASIBILITY STUDY.

       The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 
     Reclamation, is authorized to conduct a feasibility study on 
     raising the height of Arthur V. Watkins Dam for the 
     development of additional storage to meet water supply needs 
     within the Weber Basin Project area and the Wasatch Front. 
     The feasibility study shall include such environmental 
     evaluation as required under the National Environmental 
     Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and a cost 
     allocation as required under the Reclamation Project Act of 
     1939 (43 U.S.C. 485 et seq.).

     SEC. 4. COST SHARES.

       (a) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the costs of the 
     study authorized in section 3 shall not exceed 50 percent of 
     the total cost of the study.
       (b) In-Kind Contributions.--The Secretary shall accept, as 
     appropriate, in-kind contributions of goods or services from 
     the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. Such goods and 
     services accepted under this section shall be counted as part 
     of the non-Federal cost share for the study.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
     $1,000,000 for the Federal cost share of the study authorized 
     in section 3.

     SEC. 6. SUNSET.

       The authority of the Secretary to carry out any provisions 
     of this Act shall terminate 10 years after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
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. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 839, introduced by our colleague, Representative Rob Bishop of 
Utah, would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the 
feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam. The dam is one of 
the main features of the Bureau of Reclamation's Weber Basin Project 
located along the shore of the Great Salt Lake near Ogden, Utah.

                              {time}  1445

  Recent drought and a growing population in Utah have highlighted 
water supply needs in the area. The feasibility study authorized by 
this legislation will help local water agencies and the Bureau of 
Reclamation to decide whether we should consider raising the dam to 
improve water storage capacity.
  In the 109th Congress, the Subcommittee on Water and Power held 
hearings on similar legislation. That legislation was subsequently 
reported by the committee and passed by the House.
  We have no objection to this legislation and urge its passage.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 839. The Bureau of Reclamation's Weber 
Basin Project, which is located in northern Utah only a short distance 
from the historic Brigham City, stores and delivers water from the 
Weber River into its tributaries.
  The Arthur V. Watkins Dam, which is part of the Weber Basin Project, 
is part of an off-stream reservoir on the northeastern edge of the 
Great Salt Lake. It is formed by a roughly rectangular perimeter dam 
that is about 14.5 miles long. Water from the Weber River near its 
outlet to the Great Salt Lake is diverted into the reservoir by the 
Willard Canal and pumped from the reservoir by that same canal for 
multiple purposes. In addition to providing water supply, the reservoir 
is a popular recreation facility.
  Recent drought and a growing population of Utah have highlighted the 
need for additional water storage. As a result, the Weber Basin Water 
Conservancy District, a water user which manages the Arthur V. Watkins 
Dam and Reservoir, desires the Bureau of Reclamation's assistance in 
determining the feasibility of adding water storage capacity to the 
reservoir.
  H.R. 839 authorizes such assistance. This bill passed in the 109th 
Congress by voice vote. I again ask for your support.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.
  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. 839.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam 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

[[Page 6661]]

Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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