WSW Issue #1689 September 29 2006 Dam Saftey

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Page 1 of 3 WSW Issue #1689 September 29, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL UPDATEIWATER RESOURCES Dam Safety As the Congress adjourns for elections, it leaves a number of unfinished water - related bills on the table. The House passed H.R. 4981, to amend the National Dam Safety Program Act, on September 27, by voice vote (WSW #1688). A companion bill (S. 2735) awaits action on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders (No. 511). Recent dam failures were a catalyst for action, including a failure on the Island of Kauai in Hawaii that took seven lives. According to a 2005 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) update, there are 75,900 dams in the U.S. and one -third pose a "high" or "significant" risk to life and property. National Integrated Drought Information System On September 26, the House overwhelmingly approved H.R. 5136, National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Act of 2006, introduced by Rep. Ralph Hall (R -TX) and Rep. Mark Udall (D -CO) to help "mitigate the effects of severe droughts which destroy wide swaths of the nation's cropland and drain billions of dollars from the U.S. economy annually." A House Science Committee press release added, "According to the Drought Monitor, in the past year almost 90 percent of the Continental United States experienced some degree of `abnormal dryness' with over half of the country having experienced severe drought or worse. Forty -five states were impacted by drought; 36 faced severe to extreme drought, resulting in billions of dollars in damage." The legislation, passed by voice vote, would establish a coordinated federal effort to more accurately monitor and predict costly droughts. It is endorsed by the Western Governors' Association, Western States Water Council, and numerous water agencies an,d farming interests. "Our nation approaches droughts through crisis management rather than through proactive solutions to manage the problem," Hall said. "The resources that are available to monitor droughts are very general in nature and only offer regional -scale data. Moreover, the data is not circulated in a way that is accessible on the local level by farmers and other interested parties. The bill before us today addresses these shortcomings. By creating a comprehensive drought information system, we enable our local, state and national leaders to be more proactive in their approach to droughts." "Drought is a pernicious disaster; it can creep up on you in the form of pleasantly cloudless days, but once it has arrived it can destroy livelihoods, damage valuable ecosystems, an even threaten human health," stated Vernon J. Ehlers (R -MI), Environment, Technology, and Standards Subc mmittee Chair. He managed floor debate on the bill. "This bill gives farmers, utilities, forest managers, wa rway o r6iors, tourism companies, reservoir managers, and the general public the tools they need to mak tho ful and informed choices about how to limit the impact of drought on our economy, our environment, a our quality of life." Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R -NY), a cosponsor of the legislation, added, "This bill won't prevent drought, but it will greatly mitigate the toll drought takes on our economy by equipping our farmers and water resource managers with the tools they need to prepare for and respond to drought situations" H.R. 5136 would help decisionmakers by: (1) expanding monitoring and data collection systems to include coordinated, comprehensive coverage of key indicators such as soil moisture and ground water; (2) implementing an integrated data collection and dissemination system; and (3) developing effective and useful tools to support analysis and decisionmaking at all levels and geographic scales. The bill would authorize a total of $81 M for 2007 -2012. The press release states, "Losses due to drought are not inevitable. With better forecasting of coming droughts water managers can change reservoir release schedules and water restrictions, farmers can choose crops with lower water demands and change the timing of high -water use crops, forest managers can pre - position http: / /vvww.westgov.org/wswc /news /1689.htm1 10/24/2006