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WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano (D-Norwalk), Chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Water and Power, today convened a hearing on H.R. 123, a bill to authorize additional funding for the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund.
“The San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund was originally authorized in 2000, and since that time Congress has appropriated over $80 million to aid state and local officials in cleaning up contaminated groundwater in the San Gabriel Basin and Central Basin in Southern California. This critical legislation now seeks to authorize additional federal funds,” said Napolitano.
H.R. 123 is a bipartisan bill that would authorize an additional $50 million in much-needed funding for California’s San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund, allowing for the continuation of groundwater cleanup efforts and ensuring clean, safe drinking water for the area’s roughly four million residents. Groundwater cleanup efforts in the San Gabriel Valley and Central Basin have been immensely successful and it is important to ensure their continuity well into the future.
“While great strides have been made in both the San Gabriel Basin and Central Basin, much still needs to be done. That is why H.R. 123 is before us today. I was alarmed when I learned earlier this year that the Central Basin Municipal Water District, the entity responsible for the Water Quality Protection Project, intended to shut the Project down,” stated Napolitano at the Hearing.
“I also received letters from the cities of Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, and Whittier that receive water from the Project expressing their position that the water still requires further treatment,” added Napolitano. These letters were entered into the official record of the hearing and used as evidence by Napolitano that additional funds should be added to the bill so that the Water Quality Protection Project in Central Basin can continue.
“I thank Congressman David Dreier for introducing this bill and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers for her collaboration in delivering clean, safe drinking water to one of the most contaminated regions in the nation. Working with my colleagues on the Water and Power Subcommittee to deliver water in the smartest, most efficient way possible is one of my top priorities,” concluded Napolitano.
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