On the recordJuly 16, 2015
I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney) for offering this amendment. Water hyacinth is a significant problem that has impacted the operations of both the Central Valley water project as well as the State Water Project. This year, as a result of water hyacinth infestation, pumping at the Jones Pumping Plant was reduced significantly for periods of time that resulted in the loss of water. Local water contractors responded in a collaborative manner to help remove that infestation that we see there, over 89,000 cubic yards of hyacinth at a cost of almost $2 million to remove it to try to get the operations to continue. Luckily, the capacity at the State pump, Banks pump, provided an opportunity to make up the difference. However, we may not be so lucky in the future. So I want to support this amendment. It impacts not just cities, boaters, and recreationalists, but farmers and the entire region. This is a good amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. McNERNEY. I yield back the balance of my time.
