25d ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 11/18/2007
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Region, Bureau of Reclamation, Attention: BCOO-1000, P.O. Box 61470, Boulder City, Nevada 89006-
1470; facsimile at 702-293-8156; or e-mail at strategies(u~lc.usbr.gov or contact Randall Peterson by
telephone at 801-524-3633 or Teary Fulp at 702-293-8500. This matter will be discussed at the Board
meeting.
GEORGIA DELEGATION INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO ALLEVIATE WATER CRISIS:
Members of Georgia's congressional delegation have introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate and U.S.
House to alleviate the current water crisis by allowing states suffering from droughts to be exempt
temporarily from the Endangered Species Act. Specifically, the legislation would amend the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 to allow a state to be exempt from the Act when the Secretary of the Army or a
Governor declares that drought conditions are threatening the health, safety and welfare of residents in a
region served by a river basin managed by the federal government. (See Attachment 25D-14)
WATER 2025 CHALLENGE GRANTS AWARDED FOR WATER CONSERVATION AND
EFFICIENCY PROJECTS: Water organizations from Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming received $2.7
million in Water 2025 Challenge Grants at a ceremony held at Mt. Timpanogos Park in Provo, Utah.
Reclamation Commissioner- Robert Johnson presented 13 grants to 12 recipients in support of innovative
projects focused on water conser~~ation, improved efficiency, and water marketing.
Nearly one third of this year's Water 2025 Challenge Grants were awarded at the ceremony to: Bell
Canyon Irrigation Company, Payson City, Provo River Water Users Association, Scipio Irrigation
Company, Strawberry High Line Canal Company, Strawberry Water Users Association, Uintah Indian
Irrigation Project, the Uintah Water Conservancy District, Utah Lake Distributing Company, and Weber
Basin Water Conservancy District, as well as the Winder Lateral Association in Idaho and the Wyoming
State Engineer's Office.
Grants were awarded in support a variety of projects including a new water bank utilizing groundwater
recharge, the replacement of open canal with pressurized pipe and the installation and upgrade of existing
SCADA systems. Combined, the projects will help better manage or save more than 85,000 acre-feet of
water in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
HOUSE PANEL ENDORSES 13 LANDS AND «'ATER BILLS: The House Natural Resources
Committee approved a baker's dozen worth of water and land bills Wednesday, though only two of the
measures garnered any debate. The bill included:
• HR 3111, which would make the Port Chicago Memorial a unit of the National Park System.
• HR 783, which would expand the boundary of Mesa Verde National Park by 362 acres. As amended, it
would update map references in the bill and make the bill conform to a companion bill (S 126) approved
by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
• HR 1462, which would modify specifications for the Pathfinder Reservoir in Wyoming along the Platte
River.
• HR 135, which would authorize $9 million to establish a commission to study water management
programs. The nine-member panel would be known as the Twenty-First Century Water Commission and
would submit a final report to Congress within three years after the group's first meeting, in addition to
interim reports every six months. The commission would disband within 30 days of the final report.
SENATE WATER BILL INCLUDES CONDUIT: Authorization for the Arkansas Valley Conduit was
included in a $23 billion water projects bill passed by the U.S. Senate by a veto-proof margin. However,
Flood Protection • Water Project Planning and Finance • Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection • Conservation Plarming