Western Governors: Addressing the West's aging, overburdened water infrastructure essential (4/17/08)

Western Governors: Addressing the West's aging, overburdened water infrastructure essential

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2008
Contact: Craig Bell, Western States Water Council, 801-561-5300

DENVER -- Addressing the West's aging and overburdened water infrastructure is essential, Western governors told Congress today, if the region is to maintain past gains in environmental quality and to meet future needs with a growing population and competing demands.

Tony Willardson, Deputy Director of the Western States Water Council, testified today before the Water and Power Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. His testimony was delivered on behalf of the council and Western Governors' Association.

"In general, we are not yet in a crisis, but face a chronic problem that will only get worse without aggressive, affirmative action," Willardson said. "If we are to leave a firm water infrastructure foundation for future generations, we will need to increase spending for project repairs, replacement and new construction. Their water future is in our hands."

He said receipts from the Reclamation Fund currently exceed appropriations by roughly $1 billion annually. The WGA and water council strongly believe the Administration should request and the Congress should appropriate more of this money for reclamation project operation, maintenance, rehabilitation and replacements, as well as to build new capacity necessary to meet demands related to growth and environmental protection.

"Receipts in the past were insufficient for the construction of major federal projects, such as Grand Coulee and Hoover Dams, which required the appropriation of general Treasury funds," Willardson said. "But, today, it appears that the Reclamation Fund balance is more than sufficient to pay for Reclamation's water resources programs at current levels."

The President's 2009 budget request for the Bureau of Reclamation's Water and Related Resources account is $779 million, compared to $949 million for 2008.

"Reclamation's facility maintenance and rehabilitation figure for FY2009 is $183 million, compared to $195 million for FY 2008 and $201 million for FY 2007," he said. "Obviously, spending on Reclamation infrastructure is going in the wrong direction.

"It is time to focus federal financial resources intended to aid in Western water development to help Reclamation and state and local agencies meet the future challenges of continuing to supply adequate water of suitable quality in the face of growing municipal and industrial demands and federal requirements to protect public health and the environment."

In the future, Willardson concluded, different agencies and stakeholders may have to pool their available financial and other resources and come together on "project-specific partnerships" in order to address the challenges associated with an aging infrastructure.

WGA and the water council also testified yesterday on another water-related matter -- Indian water rights settlements -- before the House Committee on Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Water and Power. The governors urged Congress to "take steps to ensure that any settlement authorized by Congress and approved by the President will be funded and implemented without a corresponding offset to some other tribal or essential Interior Department program."

Susan Cottingham of the Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission warned that, "State and tribal commitment to pursue these settlements may be jeopardized if federal support is not forthcoming."

The testimony given on both of these issues is available on WGA's Web site at www.westgov.org. Also available is information on WGA's water policies and the report, "Water Needs and Strategies for a Sustainable Future."

The Western Governors' Association is an independent, nonprofit organization representing the governors of 19 states and three U.S.-Flag islands in the Pacific. Through their Association, the Western governors identify and address key policy and governance issues in natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and public management.

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