[DOCID: f:sr120.110]
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Calendar No. 254
110th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 110-120
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ARTHUR V. WATKINS DAM ENLARGEMENT ACT
_______
June 28, 2007.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Bingaman, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 839]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the Act (H.R. 839) to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to study the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V.
Watkin Dam Weber Basin Project, Utah, to provide additional
water for the Weber Basin Project to fulfil the purposes for
which that project was authorized, having considered the same,
reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that
the Act do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE
The purpose of H.R. 839 is to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to study the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur
V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin Project, Utah, to provide additional
water for the Weber Basin Project to fulfill the purposes for
which that project was authorized.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
The Arthur V. Watkins Dam, completed in 1990, was
authorized as part of the Weber Basin Project, Utah. The Arthur
V. Watkins Dam is approximately 14.5 miles long, has a
structural height of 36 feet, and is made up of 17 million
cubic yards of material. The Dam is currently capable of
impounding 215,120 acre-feet of water in Arthur V. Watkins
Reservoir. Water contained in the Reservoir is supplied by the
Willard Canal, an earthen canal with an initial capacity of
1,050 cubic feet per second. Flows that are not impounded by
upstream mountain reservoirs, water released by power plants
during the winter, fish releases, upstream spills, and return
flow from higher diversion are diverted from the Weber River by
the Slaterville Diversion dam and conveyed eight miles north to
the Reservoir.
Arthur W. Watkins Reservoir provides irrigation, municipal
and industrial, fish and wildlife, and recreational benefits.
Over 500,000 people currently rely on the water contained in
the reservoir for industrial and municipal purposes, and this
number is growing. Arthur V. Watkins Dam is authorized to store
250,000 af. However, the Dam cannot currently accommodate this
amount of water. Interested water users have proposed that the
Dam be raised to accommodate an additional 35,000 af of water.
This equals the difference between the amount of water the Dam
is authorized to impound and the amount the Dam is currently
able to impound. Proponents maintain the additional storage
could be accomplished by adding just a few feet to the Dam.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
H.R. 839 was introduced on February 6, 2007 by
Representative Rob Bishop and referred to the House Committee
on Natural Resources. Under suspension of the rules, H.R. 839
passed the House of Representatives on March 19, 2007. The bill
was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources. An identical measure, S. 512 was
introduced on February 7, 2007 and referred to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources. At its business meeting on May
23, 2007, the Committee ordered H.R. 839 favorably reported.
During the 109th Congress, the Committee considered an
identical measure, S. 1811, introduced on October 3, 2005 by
Senator Hatch for himself and Senator Bennett. The Subcommittee
on Water and Power held a hearing on September 21, 2006. S.
Hrg. 109-781. A companion measure, H.R. 3626, was introduced by
Representative Rob Bishop on July 29, 2005 and referred to the
House Resources Committee. Representative Chris Cannon and
Representative Jim Matheson were co-sponsors. On December 13,
2005, H.R. 3626 was favorably reported by the Committee on
Resources. H. Rept. 109-339. Under suspension of the rules,
H.R. 3626 passed the House of Representatives on September 27,
2006. It was received in the Senate and referred to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. No further action
occurred prior to the sine die adjournment of the 109th
Congress.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open
business session on May 23, 2007, by voice vote of a quorum
present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 839.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 provides the short title.
Section 2 contains findings of the Congress.
Section 3 authorizes the Secretary to conduct a feasibility
study on raising the height of Arthur V. Watkins Dam for the
purposes, and under the conditions, described.
Section 4(a) specifies that the Federal share of the total
study costs shall not exceed 50 percent.
Section 4(b) authorizes the Secretary to count in-kind
contributions, as appropriate, towards the non-Federal cost-
share for the study.
Section 5 authorizes $1,000,000 in appropriations for the
Federal cost share of the study.
Section 6 terminates the authority contained in the Act on
the date that is 10 years after the date of enactment.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of costs of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
June 1, 2007.
Hon. Jeff Bingaman,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 839, the Arthur V.
Watkins Dam Enlargement Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Tyler
Kruzich.
Sincerely,
Peter R. Orszag.
Enclosure.
H.R. 839--Arthur V. Watkins Dam Enlargement Act
H.R. 839 would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to
participate in a water management feasibility study of the
Arthur V. Watkins Dam in northern Utah. The study would
consider increasing the height of the dam in order to increase
the water storage capacity of the Watkins Reservoir and the
water supply to the Weber Basin Project area and the Wasatch
Front. H.R. 839 would authorize the appropriation of $l million
for the federal share of the cost of this study, which could
not exceed 50 percent of the total cost.
Assuming appropriation of the specified amount, CBO
estimates that implementing H.R. 839 would cost $1 million over
the 2008-2009 period. Enacting the legislation would not affect
direct spending or revenues.
H.R. 839 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
Funds authorized in the legislation to conduct a study of the
Arthur V. Watkins Dam would benefit the Weber Basin Conservancy
District. Any costs it might incur, including matching funds,
would result from complying with conditions of federal
assistance.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Tyler Kruzich.
This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION
In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in
carrying out H.R. 839. The bill is not a regulatory measure in
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals
and businesses.
No personal information would be collected in administering
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal
privacy.
Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the
enactment of H.R. 839, as ordered reported.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
Because H.R. 839 is identical to legislation considered by
the Committee in the 109th Congress, the Committee did not
request Executive Agency Views. The testimony provided by the
Bureau of Reclamation at the subcommittee hearing in the 109th
Congress on S. 1811 follows:
Statement of William E. Rinne, Acting Commissioner of the Bureau of
Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior
Madam Chairwoman, thank you for the opportunity to present
the Department of the Interior's views on S. 1811, a bill to
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the
feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam. I am
William Rinne, Acting Commissioner of the Bureau of
Reclamation. The Department regrets that it is not possible to
support S. 1811 in its current form because it contains neither
non-federal cost sharing for the study nor an overall Federal
cost ceiling.
Arthur V. Watkins Dam, built in 1964, is located 12 miles
northwest of Ogden, Utah, on the shore of the Great Salt Lake.
It is an off-stream structure which extends into the Great Salt
Lake and is constructed on lake deposits. The embankment is
14.5 miles long, has a structural height of 36 feet, and
contains about 17 million cubic yards of material. It encloses
a reservoir of 215,000 acre-feet, with a surface area of more
than 9,900 acres.
Arthur V. Watkins Dam forms Willard Bay Reservoir. The dam
is a Reclamation feature of the Weber Basin Project and was
authorized by Congress in the Weber Basin Project Act of August
29, 1949 (PL 81-273). The Weber Basin Project was constructed
in the 1950's.
The original design anticipated settling of the foundation
of the embankment during the life of the dam. In the early
1990's, the embankment was raised, re-establishing the original
elevation of the embankment. The project was completed by the
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District (WBWCD) under a
Rehabilitation and Betterment loan.
The proposed feasibility study would analyze viable
alternatives for water storage and consider environmental
issues, foundation stability, and public safety. In addition,
the feasibility study would evaluate potential future
foundation settling. Due to the limited focus of the 1 to 2
foot dam raise, the estimated cost of this study is $2 million.
Growth in the project area has been significant during the
last decade. The State population projections for the future
show continued growth. With the extensive growth, water
development projects and supplies are being investigated for
the northern part of the Wasatch Front. The WBWCD has asked
Reclamation to provide additional storage in Willard Bay for
approximately 10,000 acre-feet of annual yield available under
existing Weber Basin Project water rights.
The additional storage of water would be used for municipal
and industrial, flood control, fish and wildlife enhancement,
and recreation purposes along the Wasatch Front in northern
Utah. The added capacity could postpone the need for the State
of Utah to begin development of the water resources of the Bear
River in northern Utah. The additional storage of water would
be consistent with the purposes identified in the original
authorizing legislation (PL 81-273) and current contracts.
If the legislation were amended to include a reasonable
Federal cost ceiling and a minimum of fifty percent non-federal
cost-sharing in the financing of the feasibility study, in line
with Reclamation policy and practice applied in virtually every
similar situation, we would not oppose enactment of S. 1811. Of
course, we will be happy to work with the bill's sponsors,
Senator Hatch and Senator Bennett, and this Committee to make
this improvement. However, any potential authorization to raise
the dam would have to compete with the many other Reclamation
projects vying for funding.
This concludes my testimony. I am happy to answer any
questions.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no
changes in existing law are made by the Act H.R. 839, as
ordered reported.
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