George Miller: “S. 2117 as amended authorizes a number of relatively small but important provisions affecting water resource projects…”

“S. 2117 as amended authorizes a number of relatively small but important provisions affecting water resource projects and management in the Western United States. The bill authorizes construction of a rural water system in South Dakota, transfers ownership of several Bureau of Reclamation projects to local water districts, authorizes several small projects in the Colusa Basin of California, and provides financial assistance for construction of water re-use projects in Phoenix and Albuquerque. The bill also allows the City of Vallejo, California to use the water conveyance facilities of the Bureau of Reclamation's Solano Project. While I will not object to passage of this legislation, I will note that some of the Reclamation project transfers included in S. 2117 remain problematic. In particular, serious environmental issues have been raised regarding future management of the Wellton-Mohawk Division of the Gila Project and the Sly Park Unit of the Central Valley Project. The Bureau of Reclamation must work to determine the conditions for transferring these projects that will preserve the public benefits and avoid environmental damage from future project operations.”