**Testimony of Bill Long**

**Chairman, North Bay Water Reuse Authority**

**North San Pablo Bay, California**

**Before the**

**Subcommittee on Water and Power**

**Committee on Energy and Natural Resources**

**United States Senate**

**Regarding S. 1472, the North Bay Water Reuse Bill of 2007**

**August 1, 2007**

Good morning Chairman Bingaman and Members of the Subcommittee. My name
is Bill Long and I am Chairman of the North Bay Water Reuse Authority in
the North San Pablo Bay region of California. I am here today to
represent interests in Sonoma, Napa and Marin Counties. I am honored to
be here and grateful that Senators Feinstein and Boxer have introduced
the North Bay Water Reuse Bill of 2007. The North Bay Water Reuse
Program addresses not only the problems of agricultural water supply and
wastewater discharge requirements facing the North Bay region, but also
aids in the restoration of aquatic and wetland ecosystems. Furthermore,
it also is a model for innovative water efficiency management approaches
that are particularly well suited for application in California and much
of the arid west.

The North Bay Water Reuse Program is a unique regional effort that will
meet the needs of urban and agricultural water users and the
environment. Existing water supplies are being stretched to the limit
and we must take advantage of the proven technology of using high
quality recycled water in place of precious and limited potable water
sources. The North Bay Water Reuse Program will provide new water supply
while at the same time reduce diversions from streams and rivers that
are already over-tapped.

**Regional Water Challenges**

The North Bay Region of California is north of San Francisco on the San
Pablo Bay, part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco
Bay system, which is the focus of a long-term federal and state
environmental restoration effort.

Many of the growing urban communities of the North Bay region currently
discharge their treated wastewater into the San Pablo Bay (the Bay). By
the year 2020, the region's treatment plants will be discharging 36,000
acre-feet of wastewater into the Bay each year. This method of
wastewater disposal is not sustainable in the long-term.

Meanwhile, agricultural producers in the North Bay region have
experienced, and will continue to encounter, major water shortages.  One
recent drought was so severe that some growers resorted to trucking
water to their vineyards to irrigate their grapes. As the population
grows in California, so too will the strain on water supplies in a
region already struggling with a severe groundwater overdraft and
dwindling streams and rivers.

As agencies and farmers grapple with these problems, state and federal
authorities are working to find a way to restore 9,000 acres of tidal
marshes in the North Bay that were converted to solar salt evaporation
ponds during the 1950s. Today, approximately 1,900 of those ponds sit as
sterile, saline waste ponds unsuitable to sustain wildlife. Finding a
reliable source of non-salt water is essential to rehabilitating these
wetlands.

**Urban, Agricultural and Environmental Benefits**

The North Bay Water Reuse Program would significantly reduce wastewater
discharges into the San Pablo Bay by providing the infrastructure
necessary to gather treated wastewater from several communities and
deliver it as irrigation water for vineyards and other agricultural uses
in the summer. During the off-season, the water would be sent to the
salt ponds to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the concentrations of
highly saline water.

By implementing the Program, we can provide 21,000 to 29,000 acre-feet
of recycled water to meet all of the irrigation water needs of
down-valley vineyards, thereby leaving water for in-stream beneficial
uses and reducing groundwater overdraft. These amounts would also be
sufficient to offer cities in the region supplies to meet their recycled
water needs.

The recycled water supplies would be used by vineyards to replace water
they now draw from regional streams. These streams were historically
home to California fresh water shrimp, as well as to small populations
of anadromous salmon and steelhead. California freshwater shrimp now
reside only in a small number of isolated pockets due to alteration of
stream habitat, particularly by water diversions and removal of riparian
vegetation. Diversions for agricultural have left only remnant
populations of steelhead and salmon in these streams.

By providing growers with an alternative source of water, the North Bay
Water Reuse Program would make it possible to maintain enough water in
the streams to restore shrimp population in several places where they
have ceased to exist. In addition, habitat for the threatened
populations of salmon and steelhead will be tremendously improved, which
will assist in the recovery of the species.

During the winter months when irrigation demands are significantly
reduced, a large part of the recycled water supply made available by the
Program would be diverted to restoration of the saline ponds.

With infusions of freshwater, the ponds will eventually be used again by
bird populations, especially during late fall, winter and early spring
as migration along the Pacific Flyway occurs. The population numbers of
various species wintering in the region run into the tens and sometime
hundreds of thousands of birds. Shorebird counts in recent years range
up to one million wintering individuals. They use all available
productive wetlands, traveling from site to site to feed on
invertebrates. Waterfowl use also is high, with populations of various
species in the tens of thousands, ranging up to about 100,000
individuals within each species. The California Department of Fish and
Game reports that there was much more waterfowl use of the site before
they were converted to salt ponds. If restored to tidal action, the site
also can support estuary fish such as Delta smelt and other species.

**Summary of Legislation**

S. 1472 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in
the North Bay Water Reuse Program through the Bureau of Reclamation,
which is at the forefront of the larger Bay-Delta restoration effort.
The bill authorizes the Secretary to provide technical and financial
assistance for a phased implementation of the North Bay Water Reuse
Program. The Feasibility Study and Environmental Documents are expected
to be completed by the end of 2008. Implementation of the Program could
begin the following year. S. 1472 would provide federal financial
assistance for planning, design and construction of regional and
sub-regional water treatment and distribution systems, limited to the
lesser of 25 percent of the total cost or \$25 million.

**Proven Benefits and Safety of Recycled Water**

Recycled water is now used widely on many crops in many areas. Many
vintners in the North Bay region already apply recycled water from
regional treatment plants to their vines. The only reason more growers
don't use recycled water is because delivery pipelines have yet to be
constructed.

Recycled water is an excellent solution to our agricultural water
shortages in California. Recent reports from the State Water Resources
Control Board estimate that 48% of the total volume of California's
reclaimed water is used for agricultural irrigation.

Tertiary treated water is a proven product, here in California and
around the world. In Monterey County, 12,000 acres of vegetable crops
are irrigated with reclaimed water in a program that was started in the
mid 70's. In Florida's Water Conserv II program citrus crops are
irrigated in the worlds largest agricultural reuse program.

The trend in agricultural reuse projects is growing around the world and
countries such as Australia have over 50 active programs using recycled
water. All of these examples have been rigorously studied by the
scientific community and it has been demonstrated that reclaimed water
is a safe, healthy, sustainable water supply for agriculture. Grape
growers around the region are eager to participate in the Program.

**Conclusion**

In summary, the North Bay Water Reuse Program is a model for the future.
It is a win-win project that will protect the environment, as well as
meet the future water needs of urban and agricultural water users in the
North Bay region of California. It will require vision and broad
collaboration to make the program a success. Our federal partners are
critical to the success of this collaboration.

The communities of the North Bay are grateful to Senators Feinstein and
Boxer for introducing the North Bay Water Reuse bill. It will allow us
to embark on a Program that can be replicated nationwide. It will help
assure that agricultural and environmental water supply needs in the
North Bay region are permanently met, groundwater basins are recharged,
stream flows for threatened fish species are enhanced, and discharges
into the San Francisco and San Pablo Bay are reduced.