On the recordFebruary 2, 2023
Mr. Speaker, for roughly two decades, Western States have endured extreme drought conditions. This hurts our economy, endangers life, and increases costs for Californians. To avoid importing costly water from distant watersheds, we have to continue to make bold investments to make California more drought resilient. Last year, I brought Secretary Deb Haaland to Orange County to announce a $12.2 million grant for the Irvine Ranch Water District's Syphon Reservoir Project. This will expand recycled water storage capacity by 1.6 billion gallons. The recent storms proved just how effective these reservoirs are. Irvine Lake has collected over a billion gallons of water so far in January; enough water to serve 11,000 households for a year. I applaud these investments that make full use of water supplies, and I will continue pushing to increase our resiliency and lower costs for families. ____________________





