Water

Reliable water supplies are essential to public health, ecosystems, and the regional economic viability of our Valley. The worsening drought crisis has human and economic impacts that we cannot wait to confront. We must work together and use all the tools in our water toolbox to get through this crisis. In Congress, I have fought to secure a stable supply of water for our farmers and farm communities. To make sure our farmers have the water they need to put food on America's dinner table and put people back to work, I have pressed the Administration to increase our water allocations, secured federal funding for Valley water projects, and fought the flawed federal regulations that limit the water flowing to our region.

As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, I have been a voice on behalf of our Valley on critical water issues that affect our communities. I am proud to have voted for the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which makes the largest investment in drinking water infrastructure in American history. It also includes critical investments in California water rejects that will improve and conserve water storage. Along with the Inflation Reduction Act, we will see additional funding for western states to invest in drought resiliency to mitigate the impacts of the drought. Our work to secure our fair share is far from over, but we have made progress. I will continue fighting to ensure we bring and preserve water in our Valley so we can feed the world and protect our communities.

Securing Water for our Valley and California

• Costa delivered $3.5 million for the City of Madera to rehabilitate a 50-year-old corroded pipeline responsible for carrying the City's wastewater to its treatment plant.

• Costa delivered $500,000 to study the viability of a project to expand the single-purpose Los Banos Creek into a multi-purpose reservoir, which would provide long-term solutions to flooding, drought, overdraft, and subsidence in Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Stanislaus Counties. 

• Costa delivered $279,000 for the City of Dos Palos to replace a water clarifier at the city's aging water plant to ensure uninterrupted service for residents.

• Costa voted to deliver funding for critical water projects with more than $200 million to build, expand and repair water storage projects in California that will improve the state's ability to withstand the devastating impacts of sustained drought.

  • $60 million for the B.F. Sisk Dam expansion project near Los Banos to develop more than 130,000-acre-feet of additional water storage; 

  • $80 million for construction of the Sites Reservoir, a 1.81-million-acre-foot off-stream surface storage reservoir in the Sacramento Valley; 

  • $50 million for the Los Vaqueros Reservoir expansion project in the Bay Area to develop an additional 115,000-acre-foot of water storage and new conveyance infrastructure; 

  • $15 million for the construction of the Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir near Patterson, an 82,000-acre-foot off-stream storage reservoir.

• Costa voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which includes significant funding to repair our water infrastructure, including the largest investment in clean drinking water infrastructure in American history.  Costa has secured the following for the San Joaquin Valley:

  • $25 million to the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Authority, to pursue the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project. The project is associated with the B.F. Sisk Safety of Dams Modification Project. Once complete, the project will develop approximately 130,000 acre-feet of additional storage.

  • $30 million for North of Delta Off-Stream Storage (Sites Reservoir Project) to pursue off-stream storage capable for up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water in the Sacramento River system located in the Coast Range mountains west of Maxwell, California. The reservoir would utilize new and existing facilities to move water into and out of the reservoir, with ultimate release to the Sacramento River system via existing canals, a new pipeline near Dunnigan, and the Colusa Basin Drain.

  • $82 million for the Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Phase II to efficiently integrate approximately 115,000 acre-feet of additional storage through new conveyance facilities with existing facilities to allow Delta water supplies to be safely diverted, stored, and delivered to beneficiaries.

• Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Costa secured the following funding for California as a whole:

  • $1.15 billion to improve water storage in California and the San Joaquin Valley, which will benefit B.F. Sisk Dam, Sites Reservoir, Los Vaqueros Reservoir, and Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir expansions. 

  • $3.2 billion to repair aging water infrastructure projects in California  

  • $3.5 billion to improve drinking water infrastructure in California 

  • $1 billion for rural water projects  

  • $500 million to repair aging dams and ensure safety, for projects like B.F. Sisk Dam/San Luis Reservoir    

  • $400 million for WaterSMART program grants for California water districts and farmers  

    • Funding to address drought, which includes:  

      • $1 billion to revitalize water recycling projects, which can expand water supplies   

      • $980 million to environmental programs in the West  

      • $250 million to bolster desalination water projects 

• Costa proudly voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, which will provide $4 billion in drought resiliency funding to mitigate the impact of drought in the West, which would prioritize drought-prone areas such as the San Joaquin Valley. Costa was the only member from the central San Joaquin Valley to vote for this legislation. 

Legislation Introduced in the 117th Congress

The Canal Conveyance Capacity Restoration Act would authorize more than $653 million to restore the capacity of three San Joaquin Valley canals. Restoring these canals would improve California's drought resilience and help farmers comply with limits on groundwater pumping under the state's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

H.R. 3022, would allow necessary improvements to the Redbank and Rancher Creek water projects in Fresno County. The improvements would help capture up to 15,000-acre-feet of water each year and recharge underground aquifers. One acre-foot of water is enough to supply a family of four for one year.

H.R. 3023 - Restoring WIFIA Eligibility Act, would amend the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, a program that accelerates investment in our nation's water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental loans for regionally and nationally significant projects. The bill would clarify that federally owned infrastructure managed and operated by non-federal entities, such as the San Luis Delta-Mendota Water Authority, are eligible for WIFIA financing.

H.R.8127 - Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Amendments, which includes my bill to clarify that federally owned infrastructure managed and operated by non-federal entities, such as the San Luis Delta-Mendota Water Authority, can utilize WIFIA funding to finance water infrastructure projects, such as the C.W. “Bill” Jones Pumping plant rewind.