By Judy Sheahan
May 12, 2003

Augusta Mayor Bob Young, Co-Chair of the Urban Water Council, testified on May 7 before the House subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment that was chaired by Representative John Duncan (TN). Joining Mayor Young was Representative John Linder (GA) who introduced the bill, Lieutenant General Robert Flowers of the Army Corps of Engineers, Dr. Kathryn Jackson of the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Susan Gilson of the Interstate Council on Water Policy.

All of the panelists issued their support (with minor caveats) for H.R. 135, the "Twenty-First Century Water Commission Act of 2003". The Act would establish a commission "to provide for water assessments to project future water supply and demand, review current water management programs at each level of government, and develop recommendations for a comprehensive water strategy."

Duncan opened the hearing by emphasizing the importance of a commission to study the status of water in the nation. "The water supply is not limitless," Duncan said, "people need to start planning for the future."

Specifically, the goals for the commission include:

• Respect the rights of States in regulating water rights and uses,
• Identify incentives to ensure a dependable water supply for the nation over the next 50 years;
• Develop strategies to avoid unfunded mandates;
• Eliminate duplication among Federal agencies of jurisdiction;
• Consider all available technologies;
• Make recommendations for capturing excess water and flood water for conservation and subsequent use in times of drought;
• Develop financing options for public works projects; and
• Develop strategies to conserve existing water supplies and repairs to infrastructure.

Mayor Young stated, "I want to thank the Committee for having the foresight to introduce H.R. 135 and thereby recognizing the importance of this issue. Water is a valuable public resource and we need to treat it as such."

Young cautioned the Committee, however, to not have the commission spend too much time studying current water management programs, such as the State Revolving Fund (SRF) program. "This duty of the commission could prove useful, but also could drain the time and resources of the Commission and divert attention from the more important mission to identify future water supplies," Young stated.

Young outlined the importance of the committee to study water conservation practices so that they can be more broadly promoted across the nation as well as looking into new technologies such as desalination. Young stated, desalination "can literally change the -water budget- from beyond the roughly four percent of the world's supplies by tapping into this new source."

General Flowers issued the Army Corps support for the commission. "Timely attention in defining the challenges and opportunities is necessary to avoid more serious water conflicts in the decades ahead," Flowers stated, "such conflicts could manifest themselves in regulatory snarls and litigation that thwart or retard efforts to sustain economic growth and environmental quality."

The subcommittee is currently planning two more hearings on the status of the nation's water. For a complete copy of Mayor Young's remarks, please see our website at usmayors.org.

House Passes Wastewater Security Bill
During the hearing, members recessed to vote on H.R.866, the Wastewater Treatment Works Security Act, which passed 413-2. The bill authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a $200 million grant program for publicly owned treatment facilities to conduct vulnerability assessments and security enhancements. A similar bill passed in the House during the 107th Congress but there was a failure to reach a compromise between the House and Senate versions.

In the Senate, only Democrats have introduced wastewater security legislation. Senator James Inhofe (OK), Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee which has jurisdiction over this issue, has not yet indicated what he is planning on doing on the issue of wastewater security and has said that his priority is to focus on TEA-21 Reauthorization.