ICYMI: Reps. TJ Cox and Costa Introduce Legislation to Fund Major Valley Water Infrastructure Repairs
In their ongoing efforts to improve water quality and reliability in the San Joaquin Valley, Representatives TJ Cox (CA-21) and Jim Costa (CA-16) introduced a package of legislation to address California’s water issues.
Introduced by Rep. Cox, the Western Water Storage Infrastructure Act, would provide additional funding for surface storage, groundwater storage, and the supporting conveyance facilities. This bill is needed to reauthorize more water storage funding now that WIIN Act storage funds have been capped out:
“This has been a transformative session for Central Valley water. My new water storage bill, the third water bill I’ve introduced this Congress, is going to tackle one of the trickiest parts of fixing our supply crisis," said Rep. Cox. "By investing $800 million in badly needed projects over the next 5 years, we can finally get on track to long-term supply stability, through wet and dry years.”
Taken together with HR 5316 the Move Water Now Act introduced by Rep. Cox, which funds repairs on the Friant-Kern Canal, these two bills will contribute the necessary resources to perform vital repairs to the San Joaquin Valley’s main water conveyance facilities.
These pieces of legislation, in addition to the Disadvantaged Community Drinking Water Assistance Act, and Securing Access for the Central Valley and Enhancing (SAVE) Water Resources Act, make up a package of bills championed by Reps. Costa, Cox, and Harder (CA-10).
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"...the bills are the Conveyance Capacity Correction Act, introduced by Costa, and the Western Water Storage Infrastructure Act, introduced by Cox. The second 'would provide additional funding for surface storage, groundwater storage, and the supporting conveyance facilities' with $800 million between fiscal years 2020 and 2024..."