WASHINGTON D.C.—The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held a hearing on Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s H.R. 9514, the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act. The important step included supportive testimony from Congresswoman Boebert, the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
“Access to clean water is not a luxury, it is a necessity, and Southeast Colorado families and businesses deserve a reliable and sustainable water supply,” said Congresswoman Boebert. “It’s time we finally fulfill the promise the federal government made to the communities I represent in Colorado and Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act.”
H.R. 9514, the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, eliminates interest payments for the non-federal costs of the Arkansas Valley Conduit and extends the repayment period for this project from 50 to 100 years. The Arkansas Valley Conduit was originally approved for construction as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project that was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1962. Once completed, the Arkansas Valley Conduit will provide water to as many as 50,000 Coloradans across 40 communities in Pueblo, Otero, Bent, Kiowa, Prowers and Baca Counties.
The Finish the AVC Act eases the burden of inflation costs that have caused the original $640 million estimate cost of construction in 2019 to rise to more than $1.3 billion. There have been a number of modifications to the proposed Arkansas Valley Conduit over the years that have reduced costs by as much as $200 million.
“The Arkansas Valley Conduit will provide a new surface water source of high quality so that safe drinking water standards can be achieved within the financial ability of the local communities,” testified Bill Long, President of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. “We thank Representative Boebert for her leadership in introducing this legislation and our District urges the passage of H.R. 9514.”
Radium, uranium, and other naturally occurring elements are found in the surface and groundwater in Southeastern Colorado, and the water quality is problematic year-round because of its salinity, selenium, sulfate, hardness, and manganese levels. The Bureau of Reclamation has found that these contamination levels are so severe that local communities could see the costs of their drinking water triple without this legislation.
"The Department supports efforts to improve access to reliable, clean drinking water as an essential human need that is critical to the public health, well-being, educational attainment, and economic development of all communities in the United States,” said Roque Sanchez, Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. “The modifications proposed under H.R. 9514 are within that commitment and necessary to ensure that the costs of the AVC remain reasonable and affordable for the rural communities that will depend on it.”
Full text of Rep. Boebert’s House legislation can be found HERE.
