Three pieces of legislation authored by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) on Tuesday passed the House as part of the Conference Report on H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 (WRRDA).
The WRRDA legislation originally passed the House on Oct. 23, 2013, while the Senate passed separate WRRDA legislation, S.601, on May 15, 2013.
Leaders from both the House and Senate have been in negotiations since the legislation passed both chambers.
The negotiations produced an agreement on legislation, or Conference Report, which passed the House today and is expected to pass the Senate as early as next week.
The president is expected to sign the legislation into law.
The legislation authored by Thompson that passed the House and will soon be signed into law includes:
The requirement of a study on the impacts of invasive species;
A provision allowing the Contra Costa Flood Control and Water Conservation Districts to directly perform flood control and habitat restoration on the Walnut Creek Project;
Legislative language to speed up Russian River Habitat Restoration and prevent the construction of an unnecessary $300 million pipeline in Sonoma County.
“These important provisions will help counties in our district save money, restore habitats, decrease localized flooding, and prevent the spread of invasive species,” said Thompson. “I am proud to have worked to pass this legislation and look forward to seeing it passed by the Senate and signed into law soon.”
Invasive species provision
The first provision authored by Thompson and passed as part of the Conference Report requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on the impacts of aquatic invasive species on federal assets and current federal spending on aquatic invasive species prevention.
Aquatic invasive species pose a costly challenge to water infrastructure, fisheries, and the environment in local communities across the United States.
However, this problem often only receives attention after an invasive species has become established in a new area and has begun clogging water pipes, infecting plants and animals with dangerous diseases, and outcompeting native species.
These impacts can damage fisheries, pose health hazards, irreparably damage natural environments, and take a severe toll on local, state, and federal budgets. For example, aquatic mussels such as quagga and zebra mussels have cost U.S. communities more than $5 billion since their introduction in the 1980's.
In the Fifth Congressional District, Clear Lake, Lake Sonoma and Lake Berryessa are all rated at the highest possible risk level for quagga invasion.
Currently none of these lakes have been invaded by quagga mussels.
However, if quaggas invade one of these lakes, control and treatment would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and negatively impact the water supply for residents of Sonoma, Lake, and Solano counties.
If quagga mussels invade the state water infrastructure it could cost millions every year to keep the pipes clear.
Walnut Creek project provision
The second provision authored by Thompson and passed as part of the Conference Report de-authorizes a four-mile segment of the existing Walnut Creek Project, taking it out of Army Corps control.
Deauthorizing this four-mile segment eliminates unnecessary U.S. Army Corps bureaucracy and allows the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to directly perform flood control and habitat restoration on the remaining 18 miles of the Walnut Creek Project.
The Walnut Creek Project is a 22-mile flood control project that was previously authorized by Congress in 1960.
During a recent evaluation of the project, the U.S. Army Corps determined that the entire 22-mile project does not meet their standards because four miles of the project, near the mouth of the creek, were of concern.
To bring the entire 22-mile project up to standard, work would need to be done on the four miles identified by the Corps' evaluation. However, this work would likely be significantly delayed due to numerous Corps requirements to consult with various federal agencies.
Because of these bureaucratic barriers in place due to Army Corps regulations, local partners cannot complete the necessary work to prevent localized flooding, restore habitats, and maintain channel depth.
By removing the four-mile portion that is of concern to the Corps, Thompson's provision will allow local partners at the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to complete their necessary work in a timely manner.
Russian River restoration provision
The third provision authored by Thompson and passed as part of the Conference Report allows the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to continue working with the Sonoma County Water Agency to enhance six miles of endangered coho salmon habitat along Dry Creek, located between Warm Springs Dam and the Russian River near Healdsburg.
This restoration work is required under the Russian River Biological Opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2008 to protect coho salmon, Chinook salmon and steelhead trout; all listed as endangered or threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act.
Without this provision, it is unclear if the Army Corps would carry out their responsibilities as required by the Russian River Biological Opinion, leaving the Sonoma County Water Agency solely responsible for fulfilling this work by 2016.
However, the amount of work required under the biological opinion can only be achieved with the cooperation of the Army Corps.
If the requirements made under the biological opinion are not met, Sonoma County would be required to build a $300 million pipeline to mitigate habit impacts.
The Conference Report passed the House by a vote of 412-4.
Congressman Mike Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.