HR540MAY20

TheWeekInCongress.com

Week Ending May 20, 2005

HR 540 to authorize the Secretary of Interior to convey the Newlands Project Headquarters and Maintenance Yard Facilities to the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District.

BRIEF

This bill is a combination of 10 bills aiming to relieve or improve water availability and/or quality in California, Nevada, Texas, Missouri and Kansas. All those bills were passed by the House last year but did not make it to the Senate.

Specific projects are the transfer of about 35 acres of federal land to the public utility in Fallow, Nevada; sinking 20 wells and installing 28 miles of water pipe in Riverside – Corona CA; Reclaim and reuse impaired surface water, brine disposal Yucaipa Valley, CA; Reclaim and reuse wastewater and degraded ground water City of Corona, CA; Provide water from the Snake River Ainsworth, Missouri; Recharge the aquifer Wichita, KS; Improve water in Lower Rio Grande Valley; Public utility water recovery and desalinization Brownsville, TX and reclaim and reuse water in El Paso, TX.

Sponsor: Representative Jim Gibbons (R-NV-2^nd)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote (May 16, 2005)

Cost to the taxpayers: In excess of $200 million.

MORE INFORMATION

ADD-ONS FOR LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY PROJECTS

(a) Additional Projects.--Section 4(a) of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-576; 114 Stat. 3067) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``(20) In Cameron County, Texas, Bayview Irrigation District No. 11, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in the March 3, 2004, engineering report by NRS Consulting Engineers at a cost of $1,425,219.

``(21) In the Cameron County, Texas, Brownsville Irrigation District, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in the February 11, 2004, engineering report by NRS Consulting Engineers at a cost of $722,100.

``(22) In the Cameron County, Texas Harlingen Irrigation District No. 1, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in the March, 2004, engineering report by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $4,173,950.

``(23) In the Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County Irrigation District No. 2, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in the February 11, 2004, engineering report by NRS Consulting Engineers at a cost of $8,269,576.

``(24) In the Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County Irrigation District No. 6, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in an engineering report by Turner Collie Braden, Inc., at a cost of $5,607,300.

``(25) In the Cameron County, Texas, Adams Gardens Irrigation District No. 19, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in the March, 2004, engineering report by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $2,500,000.

``(26) In the Hidalgo and Cameron Counties, Texas, Hidalgo and Cameron Counties Irrigation District No. 9, water conservation and improvement projects as identified by the February 11 engineering report by NRS Consulting Engineers at a cost of $8,929,152.

``(27) In the Hidalgo and Willacy Counties, Texas, Delta Lake Irrigation District, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in the March, 2004, engineering report by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $8,000,000.

``(28) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 2, a water conservation and improvement project identified in the engineering reports attached to a letter dated February 11, 2004, from the district's general manager, at a cost of $5,312,475.

``(29) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 1, water conservation and improvement projects identified in an engineering report dated March 5, 2004, by Melden and Hunt, Inc. at a cost of $5,595,018.

``(30) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 6, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in the March, 2004, engineering report by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $3,450,000.

``(31) In the Hidalgo County, Texas Santa Cruz Irrigation District No. 15, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in an engineering report dated March 5, 2004, by Melden and Hunt, Inc. at a cost of $4,609,000.

``(32) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Engelman Irrigation District, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in an engineering report dated March 5, 2004, by Melden and Hunt, Inc. at a cost of $2,251,480.

``(33) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Valley Acres Water District, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in an engineering report dated March, 2004, by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $500,000.

``(34) In the Hudspeth County, Texas, Hudspeth County Conservation and Reclamation District No. 1, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in the March, 2004, engineering report by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $1,500,000.

``(35) In the El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1, water conservation and improvement projects as identified in the March, 2004, engineering report by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of $10,500,000.

``(36) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Donna Irrigation District, water conservation and improvement projects identified in an engineering report dated March 22, 2004, by Melden and Hunt, Inc. at a cost of $2,500,000.

``(37) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 16, water conservation and improvement projects identified in an engineering report dated March 22, 2004, by Melden and Hunt, Inc. at a cost of $2,800,000.

``(38) The United Irrigation District of Hidalgo County water conservation and improvement projects as identified in a March 2004, engineering report by Sigler Winston, Greenwood and Associates at a cost of $6,067,021.''.

(b) Inclusion of Activities To Conserve Water or Improve Supply; Transfers Among Projects.--Section 4 of such Act (Public Law 106-576; 114 Stat. 3067) is further amended by re-designating subsection (c) as subsection (e), and by inserting after subsection (b) the following:

``(c) Inclusion of Activities To Conserve Water or Improve Supply.--In addition to the activities identified in the engineering reports referred to in subsection (a), each project that the Secretary conducts or participates in under subsection (a) may include any of the following:

``(1) The replacement of irrigation canals and lateral canals with buried pipelines.

``(2) The impervious lining of irrigation canals and lateral canals.

``(3) Installation of water level, flow measurement, pump control, and telemetry systems.

``(4) The renovation and replacement of pumping plants.

``(5) Other activities that will result in the conservation of water or an improved supply of water.

``(d) Transfers Among Projects.--Of amounts made available for a project referred to in any of paragraphs (20) through (38) of subsection (a), the Secretary may transfer and use for another such project up to 10 percent.''.

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