Harder Leads Efforts To Prioritize Central Valley Water Needs As House Develops Infrastructure Package

On the heels of yesterday’s infrastructure meeting at the White House, Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) recently spearheaded an effort to ensure the coming infrastructure deal prioritizes Central Valley water needs by supporting drought-resilient infrastructure, securing funding for California water projects, and ensuring our businesses, families, and farmers have the tools they needs to address clean and drinking water needs. Rep. Harder fought for local water priorities in front of a hearing of the House Infrastructure Committee and led a letter with five other members of the House Central Valley delegation urging the leadership of two key House Committees to address these vital issues.

“The Central Valley’s water priorities have been left behind for too long – we have to fix our roads, bridges and transit systems – and we also can’t wait for the next drought to invest in our water infrastructure,” said Rep. Harder. “The Central Valley delegation is united in our demand that leadership prioritize our needs and include robust funding levels for the projects that will help grow and better manage our water supply.”

Testimony
Rep. Harder testified in front of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today to ensure that local priorities are included in the final infrastructure package. During the hearing, Rep. Harder highlighted several local programs which have expired or been chronically underfunded. Video of his testimony is available below.

Delegation Letter
Rep. Harder led Representatives John Garamendi (CA-3), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), TJ Cox (CA-21), Ami Bera (CA-7) and Jim Costa (CA-16) to call on Congress to focus on funding priorities for important local projects.

In brief, the Central Valley delegation asked the committees to:

• Encourage the development of climate-resilient technologies that can withstand the impacts of droughts, floods, and wildfires.
• Expand federal financing for new surface and groundwater projects through the Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act and Reclamation Infrastructure and Innovation Act; and invest in water conservation, reuse and planning through the WaterSMART program. These programs would support local projects, including the North Valley Regional Recycled Water program and local water treatment plants, such as the Stanislaus Regional Water Authority’s project that is poised to increase drinking water access for Turlock and Ceres.
• Provide states with the financial support to address their drinking water needs with the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF), and reauthorizing the Rural Water Supply Act. These programs benefit local communities like the Monterey Park Tract District, whose water was contaminated with arsenic and nitrates.

This effort comes just one week after, Rep. Harder announced the SAVE Water Resources Act, which outlines an all-the-above approach to address water issues facing the Central Valley by increasing storage opportunities, spurring innovation, and making long-overdue investments in our aging water infrastructure.

An original copy of the letter is available here.