OCR Text |
Show 224 UPDATING THE HOOVER DAM DOCUMENTS C. House Committee's Bill In contrast to the H.R. 12834, the Administration's Bill, H.R. 12165, initiated by the House Committee, provided in Title I for "Programs Downstream from Imperial Dam" and in Title II for "Measures Upstream from Imperial Dam." Section 101 (a) provides that the Secretary of the Interior (not the Secretary of State) is authorized and directed to proceed with a program of works of improvement for the enhancement and protection of the quality of water available in the Colorado River for use in the United States and Mexico. Section 101(b)(l) authorizes the Secretary to construct, operate and maintain a desalting complex with an approximate capacity of 129 million gallons per day including a pretreatment plant, appurtenant works, extension of the existing bypass drain to the Santa Clara Slough in Mexico, replacement of the existing main outlet drain extension metal flume with a concrete siphon, reduction of irrigation return flows through acquisition of lands and irrigation efficiency improvements, regulation of Gila River floodwaters entering the Wellton-Mohawk Division including possible acquisition of lands above Painted Rock Dam in Arizona, and all associated facilities. Section 101(b)(2) provides details as to the size and ability of the desalting plant and provided that the Secretary use sources of electric power that will not diminish the supply of power to preference customers from Federal power systems and that all costs associated with the desalting plant shall be nonreimbursable. Section 101 (c) made replacement of the reject stream from the desalting plant and other drainage waters bypassed to the Santa Clara Slough a National obligation and provided that studies for adequate replacement water be completed not later than June 30, 1980. Section 101(d) authorizes the Secretary to advance funds to the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission for the portion of the bypass drain in Mexico and for further transfer of such funds to a Mexican agency. Section 101(e) provides that any desalted water not needed for the purposes of the Act may be disposed of by the Secretary and the proceeds deposited in the General Fund of the Treasury. Section 101 (f) for the purpose of reducing the return flows from the Wellton-Mohawk Division authorizes the Secretary to accelerate the cooperative program of Irrigation Management with Wellton-Mohawk to improve irrigation efficiency and to acquire 10,000 acres of irrigable land to reduce the Division's existing 75,000 irrigable acres and to acquire additional acreage if deemed necessary by the Secretary. Section 101 (g) authorizes the Secretary to dispose of acquired lands or to retain them for fish, wildlife, or other appropriate purposes. Section 101 (h) authorizes the Secretary to assist water users in the division in installing system improvements. Section 101 (i) authorizes the Secretary to amend the District's repayment contract to provide that the portion of the repayment obligation allocable to irrigable acreage eliminated from the Division shall be nonreimbursable and, if deemed appropriate by the Secretary, to give the District credit against its outstanding repayment obligation to offset any increase in operation and maintenance assessments per acre which may result from the District's decreased operation and maintenance base, all as determined by the Secretary. Section 101 (j) amends the Act of July 30, 1947, 61 Stat. 628 (the Gila Reauthorization Act), to reduce the authorized irrigable acreage as provided in Section 101(e). Section 101 (k) authorizes the Secretary to acquire lands above Painted Rock Dam that are required for temporary storage capacity to permit operation of the dam in time of flooding and to adopt other control measures below the dam. Section 101(1) authorizes the Secretary to transfer funds to the Secretary of Agriculture for purposes required to achieve higher onfarm irrigation efficiencies. Section 101 (m) provides that all costs associated with the desalting complex shall be nonreimbursable except as provided in Sections 101(f) and 101(g). Section 102 (a) authorizes the Secretary to construct a new concrete-lined canal or to line the presently unlined initial 49 mile stretch of the Coachella Canal. Section 102 (b) provides that the construction charges shall be repayable without interest in 40 equal installments, with repayment prorated between the United States and the Coachella Valley Water District based |