[House Report 108-643]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



108th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     108-643
======================================================================
 
TO AUTHORIZE THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DESIGN 
AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE RIVERSIDE-CORONA FEEDER IN COOPERATION WITH THE 
       WESTERN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA

                                _______
                                

 September 7, 2004.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Pombo, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 3334]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 3334) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
participate in the design and construction of the Riverside-
Corona Feeder in cooperation with the Western Municipal Water 
District of Riverside, California, having considered the same, 
report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that 
the bill as amended do pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
    Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. PLANNING, DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE RIVERSIDE-CORONA 
                    FEEDER.

  (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with 
the Western Municipal Water District, may participate in a project to 
plan, design, and construct a water supply project, the Riverside-
Corona Feeder, which includes 20 ground water wells and 28 miles of 
pipeline in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California.
  (b) Agreements and Regulations.--The Secretary may enter into such 
agreements and promulgate such regulations as are necessary to carry 
out this section.
  (c) Federal Cost Share.--
          (1) Planning, design, construction.--The Federal share of the 
        cost to plan, design, and construct the project described in 
        subsection (a) shall be the lesser of 35 percent of the total 
        cost of the project or $50,000,000.
          (2) Studies.--The Federal share of the cost to complete the 
        necessary planning study associated with the project described 
        in subsection (a) shall not exceed 50 percent of the total 
        study cost.
  (d) In-Kind Services.--In-kind services performed by the Western 
Municipal Water District shall be considered a part of the local cost 
share to complete the project described in subsection (a).
  (e) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary under this section 
shall not be used for operation or maintenance of the project described 
in subsection (a).

SEC. 2. PROJECT AUTHORIZATIONS.

  (a) In General.--The Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and 
Facilities Act (Public Law 102-575, title XVI; 43 U.S.C. 390h et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 1637. YUCAIPA VALLEY REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY RENEWAL PROJECT.

  ``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the Yucaipa 
Valley Water District, may participate in the design, planning, and 
construction of projects to treat impaired surface water, reclaim and 
reuse impaired ground water, and provide brine disposal within the 
Santa Ana Watershed described in the report submitted under section 
1606.
  ``(b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the project 
described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 percent of the total 
cost of the project.
  ``(c) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary shall not be used 
for operation or maintenance of the project described in subsection 
(a).
  ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000.

``SEC. 1638. CITY OF CORONA WATER UTILITY, CALIFORNIA, WATER RECYCLING 
                    AND REUSE PROJECT.

  ``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the City of 
Corona Water Utility, California, is authorized to participate in the 
design, planning, and construction of, and land acquisition for, a 
project to reclaim and reuse wastewater, including degraded 
groundwaters, within and outside of the service area of the City of 
Corona Water Utility, California.
  ``(b) Cost Share.--The Federal share of the cost of the project 
authorized by this section shall not exceed 25 percent of the total 
cost of the project.
  ``(c) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not provide funds for the 
operation and maintenance of the project authorized by this section.''.
  (b) Conforming Amendments.--The table of sections in section 2 of 
Public Law 102-575 is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 1636 the following:

``1637. Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Supply Renewal Project.
``1638. City of Corona Water Utility, California, water recycling and 
reuse project.''.

                          Purpose of the Bill

    The purpose of H.R. 3334 is to authorize the Secretary of 
the Interior to participate in the design and construction of 
the Riverside-Corona Feeder in cooperation with the Western 
Municipal Water District of Riverside, California.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    As ordered reported, H.R. 3334 authorizes the Secretary of 
the Interior to participate in three southern California water 
supply projects. The first authorization allows the Secretary 
to assist the Western Municipal Water District of Riverside 
County (Western) in providing supplemental water to a 510-
square-mile area of western Riverside County through the 
Riverside-Corona Feeder project. Western currently provides 
supplemental water to the cities of Corona, Norco, and 
Riverside and the water agencies of Elsinore Valley and Rancho 
California.
    The purpose of the Riverside-Corona Feeder is to capture 
and store water in wet years to increase firm water supplies, 
reduce water costs, and improve water quality. The project 
proposes to manage the groundwater levels through the 
construction of groundwater wells and pumps to deliver the 
groundwater supply to water users. The project will also 
include a new water pipeline to serve San Bernardino and 
Riverside Counties. The project will encompass 20 wells and 28 
miles of pipeline. Studies have shown the safe annual yield of 
the underlying aquifer is about 40,000 acre-feet of water.
    H.R. 3334 also authorizes the Secretary's participation in 
the Yucaipa Valley Water Supply Renewal Project. Increasing 
demands for water supplies, combined with stringent water 
quality and wastewater discharge requirements, require 
innovative and non-traditional solutions to help solve the 
area's water problems. Water sources used to meet demands in 
the Yucaipa Valley include imported supplies from northern 
California, local surface and groundwater supplies, and water 
reclamation and recycling technologies. This project will 
provide federal assistance for planning, designing, and 
constructing the new Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Filtration 
Facility that is part of the renewal project. The new facility 
will contain an advanced filtration (reverse osmosis) system 
and a brine pipeline to remove salts, contaminants, and organic 
compounds from the water supply in the Yucaipa Valley. The 
brine pipeline will extend nearly 20 miles to the existing 
Santa Ana Regional Interceptor brine pipeline. The total 
estimated cost of the project is $44 million. The federal share 
of the cost will not exceed 25 percent of the total cost of the 
project. This text comes from H.R. 3466.
    As ordered reported, the bill also includes federal 
authorization for a City of Corona Water Recycling and Reuse 
Project. The purpose of this authorization is to authorize the 
Secretary to participate in the design, planning, and 
construction of a project to reclaim and reuse wastewater in 
the area. Corona receives 55 percent of its water from imported 
sources and 45 percent from local groundwater supplies. To 
ensure an adequate water supply for current needs and future 
growth, more recycled water will be needed for irrigation. 
Construction of this project will reduce operational costs of 
the existing drinking water system. The project will consist of 
three reservoirs and two pump stations along with retrofitted 
user irrigation systems. Additionally, 27 miles of pipelines 
are needed since recycled water is required to be kept 
completely separate from drinking water, thus using a dedicated 
system of pipelines. The City of Corona plans to retrofit 
approximately 200 sites including schools, public parks and 
landscape areas, freeway landscaping, golf courses and 
commercial landscaping. The federal share of the project shall 
not exceed 25 percent of the total cost of the project, with an 
estimated federal requirement of $5 million. This provision 
comes from H.R. 3945.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 3334 was introduced by Congressman Ken Calvert (R-CA) 
on October 17, 2003. The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Resources and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on Water 
and Power. On October 30, 2003, the Subcommittee held a hearing 
on the bill. On June 16, 2004, the Subcommittee met to mark up 
the bill. Mr. Calvert offered an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute which added the Yucaipa and Corona projects to the 
bill and clarified federal cost share and planning study 
requirements for the Riverside-Corona Feeder project. The 
amendment was adopted by unanimous consent and the bill was 
forwarded to the Full Resources Committee by unanimous consent. 
On July 14, 2004, the Full Resources Committee met to mark up 
the bill. No further amendments were offered and the bill as 
amended was favorably reported to the House of Representatives 
by unanimous consent.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis


Section 1. Planning, design, and construction of the Riverside-Corona 
        Feeder

    This section authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, in 
cooperation with the Western Municipal Water District, to plan, 
design, and construct the Riverside-Corona Feeder in San 
Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California. This section 
allows the Secretary to enter into necessary agreements and 
enact necessary regulations for the purposes of carrying out 
the section. The federal share of the cost to plan, design, and 
construct the project shall be no more than 35 percent of the 
total cost of the project or $50 million, while the federal 
cost share of the necessary planning study shall not exceed 50 
percent. In-kind services performed by the Western Municipal 
Water District shall be considered a part of the local cost 
share to complete the water supply project. The section also 
specifies that the federal funds provided by this section shall 
not be used for operation and maintenance of the project.

Section 2. Project authorizations

    This section adds two additional federal authorizations to 
the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities 
Act (Public Law 102-575). The first authorization under this 
section authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, in 
cooperation with the Yucaipa Valley Water District, to 
participate in the planning, design, and construction of 
projects to treat impaired surface water, reclaim and reuse 
impaired groundwater, and provide brine disposal. The federal 
cost share of this project shall be no more than 25 percent of 
the total project cost, but funding may not be used for 
operation and maintenance. This section authorizes $20 million 
to carry out this project.
    The section also authorizes the Secretary, in cooperation 
with the City of Corona WaterUtility, to participate in the 
design, planning, and construction of, and land acquisition for, a 
project to reclaim and reuse wastewater, within and outside of the 
service area of the Water Utility. The federal cost share shall not 
exceed 25 percent of the total project cost, but funds may not be used 
for operation and maintenance. The section also makes a conforming 
amendment to Public Law 102-575 to add the two projects in this section 
to the list of authorized projects.

            Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations

    Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Resources' oversight findings and recommendations 
are reflected in the body of this report.

                   Constitutional Authority Statement

    Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United 
States grants Congress the authority to enact this bill.

                    Compliance With House Rule XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and 
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be 
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) 
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when 
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
    2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2) 
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this 
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures.
    3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or 
objective of this bill is to authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior to participate in the design and construction of the 
Riverside-Corona Feeder in cooperation with the Western 
Municipal Water District of Riverside, California.
    4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause 
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act 
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate 
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                   Washington, DC, August 10, 2004.
Hon. Richard W. Pombo,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3334, the 
Riverside-Corona Feeder Authorization Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Julie 
Middleton.
            Sincerely,
                                         Elizabeth Robinson
                               (For Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director).
    Enclosure.

H.R. 3334--Riverside-Corona Feeder Authorization Act

    Summary: H.R. 3334 would authorize the Secretary of the 
Interior through the Bureau of Reclamation to particpate in the 
design, planning, and construction of three water supply 
projects in California: the Riverside-Corona Feeder Project, 
the Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Supply Renewal Project, and 
the City of Corona Water Recycling and Reuse Project. The bill 
would authorize the bureau to pay the lesser of 35 percent of 
the cost of the Riverside-Corona Project or $50 million. In 
addition, H.R. 3334 wouild authorize the appropriation of $20 
million for the Yucaipa Valley project. Finally, the bill would 
authorize the bureau to pay up to 25 percent of the cost of the 
city of Corona water project.
    Assuming appropriation of the necessary funds, CBO 
estimates that implementing H.R. 3334 would cost $74 million 
over the 2005-2009 period and an additional $9 million after 
that period. Enacting this bill would not affect direct 
spending or revenues.
    H.R. 3334 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal 
governments. The federal funds authorized by this bill would 
benefit local governments in California. Any expenditures made 
by those governments to provide the required matching funds 
would be made voluntarily.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of H.R. 3334 is shown in the following table. 
The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300 
(natural resources and environment).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                               -------------------------------------------------
                                                                  2005      2006      2007      2008      2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
 Estimated Authorization Level.................................        17        17        17        16        16
Estimated Outlays.............................................        11        14        17        16        16
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Basis of estimate: For this entire, CBO assumes that H.R. 
3334 will be enacted near the end of fiscal year 2004 and that 
the necessary funds will be appropriated in roughly equal 
amounts over the 2005-2009 period. Based on information from 
the Bureau of Reclamation and historical spending patterns of 
similar projects, CBO estimates that implementing this bill 
would cost $74 million over the 2005-2009 period and an 
additional $9 million after that period.
    This bill would specifically authorize appropriation of $20 
million for the Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Supply Renewal 
Project. The legislation also would authorize the lesser of $50 
million or 35 percent of total project costs for the Riverside-
Corona Feeder Project. The bureau estimates that the total cost 
of the Riverside Corona Feeder Project is over $150 million. 
Thus, CBO estimates the bill would authorize the bureau to 
spend up to $50 million on that project. The bureau estimates 
that the total cost of the city of Corona Water Recycling and 
Reuse Project would be $51 million. Assuming a 25 percent 
federal share, CBO estimates that the use of federal 
government's cost for this project would be about $13 million.
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 3334 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local or 
tribal governments. The federal funds authorized by this bill 
would benefit local governments in California. Any expenditures 
made by those governments to provide the required matching 
funds would be made voluntarily.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Julie Middleton; 
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governements: Marjorie 
Miller; and Impact on the Private Sector: Amina Masood.
    Estimate approved by: Robert A. Sunshine, Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                    Compliance With Public Law 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is 
printed in italic and existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

     RECLAMATION PROJECTS AUTHORIZATION AND ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 1992


(Public Law 102-575)

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 2. DEFINITION AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

  For purposes of this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the 
Secretary of the Interior.

                            TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sec. 1. Short title.
     * * * * * * *

       TITLE XVI--RECLAMATION WASTEWATER AND GROUND WATER STUDIES

Sec. 1601. Short title.
     * * * * * * *
1637. Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Supply Renewal Project.
1638. City of Corona Water Utility, California, water recycling and 
          reuse project.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


       TITLE XVI--RECLAMATION WASTEWATER AND GROUNDWATER STUDIES

SEC. 1601. SHORT TITLE.

  This title may be referred to as the ``Reclamation Wastewater 
and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act''.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 1637. YUCAIPA VALLEY REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY RENEWAL PROJECT.

  (a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the 
Yucaipa Valley Water District, may participate in the design, 
planning, and construction of projects to treat impaired 
surface water, reclaim and reuse impaired ground water, and 
provide brine disposal within the Santa Ana Watershed described 
in the report submitted under section 1606.
  (b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
project described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 percent 
of the total cost of the project.
  (c) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary shall not be 
used for operation or maintenance of the project described in 
subsection (a).
  (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000.

SEC. 1638. CITY OF CORONA WATER UTILITY, CALIFORNIA, WATER RECYCLING 
                    AND REUSE PROJECT.

  (a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the 
City of Corona Water Utility, California, is authorized to 
participate in the design, planning, and construction of, and 
land acquisition for, a project to reclaim and reuse 
wastewater, including degraded groundwaters, within and outside 
of the service area of the City of Corona Water Utility, 
California.
  (b) Cost Share.--The Federal share of the cost of the project 
authorized by this section shall not exceed 25 percent of the 
total cost of the project.
  (c) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not provide funds for 
the operation and maintenance of the project authorized by this 
section.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


                                  
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