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House of Representatives Seal Congressional Hispanic Caucus

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Water:

Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano continues her work as the Ranking Member on the House Water and Power Subcommittee of the Resources Committee. Securing a safe and reliable water supply for southern California has always been one of Napolitano’s top priorities. Without it, families and businesses cannot thrive. Below are some of the key projects she will be working on this year:

Groundwater Cleanup: Congresswoman Napolitano will continue to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to hold polluters responsible and require them to provide the funds necessary to restore clean groundwater. Contamination from perchlorate, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and other chemicals remains a problem in local drinking water, causing many cities to shut down wells and install very expensive equipment to remove contaminants. The Congresswoman will continue to seek federal funding for cleanup. Napolitano will also oppose the President’s proposed budget cuts to the EPA, which would impair EPA’s ability to enforce our clean water laws.

CALFED Bay-Delta Program: As Ranking Member of the House Water and Power Subcommittee, Congresswoman Napolitano worked with former Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert and Chairman Pombo in the 108th Congress to oversee Congressional approval of CALFED reauthorization bill, H.R. 2828 and its enactment into Public Law 108-361. In the 109th Congress, she will focus on securing federal funding for CALFED in addition to continuing Congressional oversight of the program. A key component of the CALFED program is its Water Use Efficiency component, which helps expand Southern California’s popular and effective water recycling and desalination projects and the creation of more opportunities to implement innovative technologies to protect and preserve a clean, stable water supply for Southern California.

MOAB: Since 1999, Congresswoman Napolitano worked to ensure that the a 10 ½ ton pile of uranium waste sited 750 feet adjacent to the Colorado River near the town of Moab, Utah be transferred to the Department of Energy for remediation and removal to an off river site. Now that the Department of Energy has finalized its preferred alternative plan in its final environmental impact statement to transport the uranium waste to the Crescent Junction site, 31 miles north of Moab, far from any streams or rivers, Napolitano will work with other Colorado River delegation Members to secure annual funding for Department of Energy to carry out its cleanup work. The uranium mine tailings causing the pollution must be removed. The uranium tailings pile is the waste byproduct of 30 years of uranium mining near Moab. Since mining ended in 1984, the pile has remained just 750 feet away from the Colorado River, leaching into it thousands of gallons of uranium waste material each day. The river is the source of drinking water for 25 million Americans in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Southern California receives a third of its drinking water from the Colorado River.

In 2003, Congresswoman Napolitano successfully achieved $100,000 in funding for water infrastructure improvements in Norwalk, plus an additional $225,000 for construction of the Norwalk Reservoir Project.  Also in 2003, she contributed to the successful appropriation of $10,000,000 in funding for contaminated groundwater cleanup to the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority.  The city of Whittier received $450,000 in appropriations in 2003 for water and sewer improvements.

Throughout 2004, Congresswoman Napolitano continued working to achieve local water appropriations.  To upgrade fire hydrants, water main lines, and assess groundwater contamination, a total of $300,000 was granted to the city of Norwalk through two spending bills.  $10 million was funded to the San Gabriel Restoration Board for containment and treatment of groundwater contamination.  Finally, $4.5 million was granted to South Bay Harbor Water Recycling for continued construction of Central and West Basin water recycling infrastructure. 

For 2005, efforts by Congresswoman Napolitano continued to succeed in sending money to the district for local water projects.  An additional $410,000 was allocated for previous water projects in the city of Norwalk.  Also, $4.5 million was granted for the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority to continue efforts for groundwater contamination cleanup.  Finally, $72,750 was funded to the South Montebello Irrigation District for renovation of the existing emergency response center.

Related Documents:

CBO Report - Water Allocation

H.R. 5768 - Reclaiming the Nation's Water Act

CRS Summary of H.R. 5768

Related News:

Water Congresswoman Napolitano Introduces Water Recycling Bill (7/12/2006)

Water Napolitano Convenes Hearing on California Levee and Flood Control Risks (10/20/2005)

Water Napolitano Secures Approval for $20 million Norwalk Water Cleanup, Supply (7/14/2005)

Water Congresswoman Applauds Decision on Uranium Pilings (4/6/2005)

February 07, 2005 - President’s budget fails to meet district’s needs 

December 01, 2004 - Congresswoman Applauds Enactment of Her San Gabriel Basin Groundwater Cleanup Bill

October 08, 2004 - Napolitano Applauds Final Congressional Approval of CAL-FED Bay-Delta Legislation (H.R. 2828)

July 09, 2004 - Napolitano Led Democratic Support for CALFED Legislation

May 05, 2004 - Napolitano Supports Committee-Passed CALFED Legislation with Reservations

May 05, 2004 - Napolitano Honors Lake Center Middle School Teacher

September 16, 2003 - House Passes Napolitano’s San Gabriel Basin Groundwater Cleanup Bill

September 10, 2003 - Napolitano Supports More Water Recycling and Desalination Projects

July 17, 2003 - Water and Power Subcommittee Authorizes Federal Assistance for Water Projects

 

May 15, 2003 - Napolitano Convenes Hearing Regarding CALFED

 

April 03, 2003 - Napolitano’s San Gabriel Basin Groundwater Cleanup Bill Passes Subcommittee

 

April 01, 2003 – Napolitano Convenes Hearing on Her San Gabriel Basin Groundwater Cleanup Bill

March 27, 2003 - Napolitano Convenes Water Recycling Hearing

March 05, 2003 - Napolitano Convenes First Water & Power Hearing

February 20, 2003 - Napolitano Secures Funds for the 38th District

February 12, 2003 - Napolitano to Serve as Senior Democrat on Water Panel

February 03, 2003 - Napolitano to Serve on Resources, Small Business

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