Statement of William Rinne

Deputy Commissioner, Operations

Bureau of Reclamation

U.S. Department of the Interior
On
H.R. 1156
before the
Committee on Resources
Subcommittee on Water and Power

House of Representatives

September 10, 2003

My name is William Rinne and I am Deputy Commissioner, Operations for the Bureau of Reclamation.  I am pleased to present the views of the Department of the Interior on H.R. 1156, a proposal to increase the federal share of the costs of Phase I of the Orange County, California Regional Water Reclamation project.

H.R. 1156 would amend Section 1631(d) of Title XVI, the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act, of Public Law 102-575, the Reclamation Projects and Authorization Adjustment Act of 1992, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to increase the federal share of the costs of Phase I to no more than $80 million.  As you are aware, current federal law limits the federal share of individual project costs to 25 percent of the total, or a maximum federal contribution of $20 million. 

This project is being constructed in three phases.  When completed, the first phase will produce about 60,000 acre-feet per year of water to recharge the region’s groundwater basin.  Currently, the project is about 10 percent complete.  To date, Reclamation is only authorized to participate in the first phase of the project.  Through Fiscal Year 2003, Reclamation will have spent approximately $8 million on Phase I – leaving about $12 million in federal funds still available for this project through 2007.

In this context, the Department believes that this legislation, which would authorize another $60 million, is unwarranted at this time and therefore, we cannot support its approval.  Furthermore, of the currently authorized Title XVI projects, only four have received full funding of the maximum federal share -- and more than $580 million in federal funding would be needed to fully fund the federal portion the remaining projects.  As Reclamation has testified before in this subcommittee, the Department believes it is prudent to complete currently authorized projects before authorizing additional projects or increasing the federal cost share of existing projects.

The economic and efficient use of water is a priority for the Department of Interior.  The Department strongly encourages local water recycling and desalination efforts.  Partnering with state and local governments is in accord with the Secretary’s Water 2025 framework for anticipating water supply crises and preventing them through communication, consultation and cooperation, in service of conservation.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on H.R. 1156.  This concludes my statement and I would be happy to answer any questions.