The U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 26 passed water legislation offered by U.S. Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) as part of a larger appropriations bill that’s now headed to the U.S. Senate for action.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue advancing this critical legislation for the Central Valley,” said Rep. Valadao.
The House-approved Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, H.R. 4394, includes Rep. Valadao’s Working to Advance Tangible and Effective Reforms (WATER) for California Act, H.R. 215, which the congressman sponsored on Jan. 9 alongside 11 Republican original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Ken Calvert (R-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), and Jay Obernolte (R-CA).
The WATER for California Act addresses the operation of the Central Valley Project (CVP), a federal water project in California owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, and the California State Water Project (SWP), which is operated jointly with the CVP.
“Ensuring communities throughout the Central Valley have access to a clean, reliable water supply is my top priority,” Rep. Valadao said. “Without a reliable water supply, our farmers, ranchers, and producers in California’s Central Valley won’t be able to grow food for the nation. The strength of our local economies, livelihoods, and government services depend on access to this critical resource.”
Specifically, Rep. Valadao’s water legislation is included in Title V of the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, and would require the CVP and SWP be operated consistent with the 2019 Biological Opinions (BiOps), which were independently peer-reviewed and informed by the most accurate, best available science, but allows modification under certain circumstances, according to a bill summary provided by his staff.
Rep. Valadao’s bill also would help ensure CVP and SWP water stakeholders receive the water they contract and pay for, provide eligibility for funding for the Shasta Enlargement Project, and reauthorize the successful surface water storage project program and coordinated operations of the CVP and SWP established by the WIIN Act, the summary says.
“For too long, complex and contradictory laws and regulations that control how much water we’re able to pump, and what storage projects we’re able to build and use, have amplified water shortage problems across the western United States,” said the congressman. “This bill will help alleviate some of these issues by providing eligibility for funding for the Shasta project and bringing much-needed accountability to the way water is managed.”