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For Immediate Release Contact: Joel Eskovitz, 202-225-5256 December 1, 2004
Congresswoman Applauds Enactment of Her San Gabriel Basin Groundwater Cleanup Bill
Congresswoman Grace Napolitano commended President Bush today for signing into law her bill to increase the amount of federal funding available to help secure the water supply of nearly 2 million California residents in and around her district. Her bill, HR. 1284, will increase by $6.5 million the amount of money Congress can use to fund the San Gabriel Basin Demonstration Project to include City of Industry.
“I thank the president for signing this bill. His support, along with that of my Republican colleague David Dreier, shows this issue goes beyond partisanship,” said Napolitano, D-Norwalk, who ushered the bill through the House as ranking member of the Water and Power Subcommittee.
The Environmental Protection Agency has placed several areas in the San Gabriel Valley on its national priority list as hazardous substances have contaminated the aquifer underneath the San Gabriel Basin. Two different programs have been created to clean up the toxins in the groundwater. The San Gabriel Basin Demonstration Project was first authorized in 1992 to handle cancer-causing contaminants. Eight years later, Chairman Dreier pushed Congress to approve the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund to deal with dangerous chemicals typically contained in rocket fuel that were found in the groundwater.
Napolitano’s bill increases the $38 million limit Congress placed on the Bureau of Reclamations in funding the San Gabriel Basin Demonstration Project. Although the congresswoman’s bill proposed increasing the limit by $12.5 million, the number was cut in half in the Senate. Affected water agencies throughout South San Gabriel Valley were still happy about the increase in the amount of assistance they can receive.
“This goes beyond just clean drinking water,” she said. “This project will be an economic boon for the area by ensuring not only that the water is clean, but that the region will have a viable source of water for years to come by cleaning and utilizing an existing resource. This critical step will help not just businesses already in the region but will draw new activity to the City of Industry and other surrounding communities.”
The cleanup project is a key component in the San Gabriel Valley’s and Southern California’s overall plan to protect its water supply, especially in light of the state’s agreement to reduce the amount of water it takes from the Colorado River starting in 2016.
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