FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Legislation to make it easier to repair and update water projects in the San Joaquin Valley is approved by the House.
Speaking before the House of Representatives, Valley Congressman Jim Costa stressed the importance of water.
“Nowhere is that more evident than in California, the San Joaquin Valley, the most productive agricultural region in the world, said Congressman Costa. “We grow 60 percent of the nation’s fruits and vegetables.”
The lead on the bill, Rep. Costa says H.R. 3281 would save money and fund rehabilitation for water projects, like the 152-mile-long Friant-Kern Canal on the Eastside of the San Joaquin Valley, serving more than 1 million acres of agriculture.
“It would not be possible though, without the complex and well-planned set of dams and canals and other structures that have been operated successfully for generations, generations, however, over time the aging infrastructure needs to be repaired, needs to be updated,” said Rep. Costa.
The bill would make it easier for local water districts to own their water projects, once debt is fully repaid to federal government.
It now heads to the Senate.
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
