Water Education Foundation
This is just one post in the Legislation - State & Federal Category
Click here to view all posts

This just in … Congresswoman Napolitano speaks out against Republican cuts to water programs

Posted by: Maven on February 16, 2011 at 2:33 pm

Received via email:

“Today, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano made the following statement on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in response to the cuts to water programs proposed in the Republican continuing resolution for fiscal year 2011:

“The Continuing Resolution risks the water supply of over 30 million   people, exposes our groundwater resources to contamination the size of Connecticut and undermines local, state and federal collaborative solutions such as California's Bay Delta Conservation Plan and the Title XVI water recycling program.

KLAMATH BASIN

“It also eliminates funding for settlements that help secure water supply for farmers and the environment in the San Joaquin Valley and the Klamath Basin, impacting the entire state of California.

“The Klamath Settlement agreements were developed by farmers, tribes, conservation groups, the power company, the States of California and Oregon and negotiated by the Bush Administration.

“The funding being spent now is on a study to determine if voluntary removal of these privately-owned dams makes sense.

“The real purpose of the Klamath amendment is to prevent fair Congressional consideration of the Klamath agreements.

“It is NOT a transparent amendment and will lead to significant implications to millions of people's water supply in the short term and in the future.

SAN GABRIEL RESTORATION FUND

“California pumps roughly 30% of its drinking water from groundwater sources. The San Gabriel and Central Basins serve as the primary source of drinking water for almost 3 million people in Los Angeles County.

“H.R. 1 eliminates the San Gabriel Valley Restoration Fund, the last line of defense against migrating groundwater contamination that has affected the San Gabriel Basin for over 35 years.

“For over a decade, this cleanup Superfund site has treated 24,000 acre feet of contaminated groundwater, helped fund the construction of 24 treatment facilities and removed approximately 200 pounds of volatile organic compounds.

“Groundwater contamination threatens the safety of our communities.   With another decade or more needed to complete the cleanup, the funding to fight the spread of groundwater contamination should NOT be eliminated.

BAY DELTA/ BIOLOGICAL OPINIONS

“Further cuts would also abolish key elements of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program and the implementation of two Biological Opinions protecting wild California Bay-Delta fisheries, risking millions of people's water supply delivery.

TITLE XVI and WATER SMART GRANTS

“If we're really talking about doing more with less, the Title XVI water recycling program is a perfect example of a program that does “more with less. More Water, More Jobs. What good is it to save money if we don't have water for jobs

“Title XVI Programs leverage federal dollars: $1 federal dollar is leveraged to every $3 local dollars.

“This program and WaterSMART grants create REAL Water.   In California alone, Title XVI projects produce over a half a million acre-feet of recycled water each year.

“Using the Council of Economic Adviser's guidance, investment in Title XVI Projects through ARRA funding has led to almost 2,000 full time jobs. Reclamation's management and recreation activities which include title xvi projects in 2009 result in $39 billion in economic impact, and support more than 260,000 jobs.

“WaterSMART Grants are also widely supported in the West.   In 2010, Reclamation received 197 applications, with requests for more than $84 million in federal funding.

“The Bureau of Reclamation has already awarded over $93.2 million in federal funding for 235 WaterSmart Grant projects in 16 western states from 2004 to 2010.

“Together these projects will conserve approximately 705,000 acre-feet per year when fully constructed at an approximate cost of $132 dollars per acre-foot. Imported water can ranges from $300 to $1500 an acre-foot.

“I would like to submit for the record letters of support from the Association of California water Agencies and the Water Reuse Foundation.

“Conservation and water recycling creates jobs and saves money, not just talk or conversation about cuts. Our communities need our support in developing local, sustainable water supplies through Title XVI projects and WaterSMART grants.”

February 16, 2011 · Filed Under Legislation - State & Federal

Comments

One Response to “This just in … Congresswoman Napolitano speaks out against Republican cuts to water programs”

  1. Tweets that mention Aquafornia -- Topsy.com on February 16th, 2011 10:26 pm

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Aqua Blog Maven, SteveTaff. SteveTaff said: This just in … Congresswoman Napolitano speaks out against … http://bit.ly/fbWFqL [...]

Leave a Reply