Source: United States Senator for California – Dianne Feinstein
Combined with bipartisan infrastructure law, will provide enough water for millions of people
Washington—Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) yesterday introduced S.4231, the Support to Rehydrate the Environment, Agriculture and Municipalities Act or STREAM Act, a bill that would increase water supply and modernize water infrastructure in California and throughout the West.
“As the past two years have painfully demonstrated, severe and prolonged drought exacerbated by climate change is the stark reality for the West,” said Senator Feinstein. “If we don’t take action now to improve our drought resilience, it’s only going to get worse. We need an ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy to meet this challenge, including increasing our water supply, incentivizing projects that provide environmental benefits and drinking water for disadvantaged communities, and investing in environmental restoration efforts.”
“As Arizona continues to navigate this historic drought, it’s more important than ever to build infrastructure that promotes a secure water future. Combined with the investments made in the bipartisan infrastructure law, this legislation will help Arizona and the West expand drought resiliency projects, increase groundwater storage, and better manage and conserve our water resources,” said Senator Kelly.
“Our STREAM Act builds on our bipartisan infrastructure law’s investments modernizing and increasing Arizona’s water supply by strengthening Arizona’s water storage, recycling and desalination projects, helping ensure Arizona’s water future is safe and secure,” said Senator Sinema.
“Given the reality of a changing climate, we know droughts will become more frequent and more intense in the future. Responsibly preparing for that future will require significant investments in natural infrastructure and science-based water management by federal, state and local agencies. This is an urgent moment when we must enhance the resilience of both natural and engineered systems to account for the nation’s changing hydrology. The Nature Conservancy commends Senator Feinstein for incorporating nature-based water supply solutions in the STREAM Act. Funding these strategies alongside traditional infrastructure projects will help restore ecosystems, increase water supply reliability and ensure underserved communities’ access to clean drinking water,” said Jay Ziegler, director of policy and external affairs for California for The Nature Conservancy.
“With drought conditions worsening, ACWA is pleased to support Senator Feinstein’s STREAM Act and appreciates her continued leadership on Western water issues. The STREAM Act would help address the current drought and assist communities in preparing for the effects of climate change by utilizing an every-tool-in-the-toolbox approach,” said Dave Eggerton, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies.
The STREAM Act includes major provisions to achieve each of these goals:
Improving the West’s water supply:
- Authorizes $750 million for storage, $300 million for water recycling, $150 million for desalination, $100 million for drinking water for disadvantaged communities and $150 million in a new, low-interest loan program for water supply projects. This builds on the $1.15 billion for storage, $550 million for water recycling and $250 million for desalination in the bipartisan infrastructure law.
- In combination with the bipartisan infrastructure law, this funding would provide California with more than 1 million additional acre-feet of water per year on average, enough water for more than 6 million people, including:
- 532,000 additional acre-feet from water recycling projects.
- 425,000 additional acre-feet from offstream storage and groundwater storage projects (including construction of Sites Reservoir, expansion of Los Vaqueros Reservoir and the raising of B.F. Sisk Dam, plus other potential projects like the Sacramento Regional Groundwater Bank and Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir).
- 85,000 additional acre-feet from water desalination projects.
- In Arizona, the bill further advances a proposal to raise Bartlett Dam on the Verde River to counteract the loss of capacity due in part to the accumulation of sediment. The groundwater storage and conveyance, desalination and water recycling funding in the bill could also help other Arizona drought resilience projects.
Financial incentives for storage and conveyance projects that enhance environmental benefits and expand drinking water access for disadvantaged communities:
- The bill authorizes grants for storage and conveyance projects that include environmental benefits, drinking water benefits for disadvantaged communities or other public benefits either as part of the project design or as part of a watershed restoration plan adopted together with the project.
- The bill authorizes low-interest loans if they build storage and conveyance projects that solely provide irrigation and general municipal and industrial water supply benefits. (Sponsors of storage and conveyance projects generally prefer to receive federal grants rather than federal loans.)
- Access to grants gives project sponsors a strong financial incentive to design environmental and disadvantaged community benefits into their projects. This approach builds on the experience of the Proposition 1 water bond California’s voters passed by a 2-1 margin in 2014, which also incentivizes projects with environmental and other public benefits.
Funding for separate environmental restoration projects:
- Authorizes $250 million for environmental restoration benefits, including helping imperiled species adapt to climate change.
- Authorizes an additional $50 million for natural water retention and release projects. These projects would help restore stream and river channels with natural materials like wetlands and could have multiple benefits, including increased groundwater recharge, improved flood protection and increased floodplain habitat to benefit salmon and other species.
- Authorizes funding to facilitate creation of essential seasonal habitat for migratory birds on fields fallowed by agricultural producers in the Sacramento Valley when they sell their water to other farmers and cities during times of drought.
- Authorizes pay-for-performance environmental restoration approaches that award grants contingent on the success of the restoration effort. These approaches can expedite environmental restoration and build public/private partnerships to increase the number of acres restored.
Bill materials:
- A one-page summary of the bill is available here.
- A section-by-section analysis of the bill is available here.
- A list of supporters of the bill is available here.
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