Colusa Basin Watershed Integrated Resources Management Act

Summary: Permits funds appropriated pursuant to this Act to be made available to fund 65 percent of costs incurred for planning, design, and environmental compliance activities by the District or by local agencies in accordance with agreements with the Secretary, under which the District or local agency is required to pay the non-Federal share of construction costs and which governs the funding of planning, design, and compliance activities costs.
Authorizes specified expenditures within existing budget authority to carry out this Act.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Colusa Basin Watershed Integrated 
Resources Management Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.

    The Secretary of the Interior (in this Act referred to as the 
``Secretary''), acting within existing budgetary authority, may provide 
financial assistance to the Colusa Basin Drainage District, California 
(in this Act referred to as the ``District''), for use by the District 
or by local agencies acting pursuant to section 413 of the State of 
California statute known as the Colusa Basin Drainage Act (California 
Stats. 1987, ch. 1399) as in effect on the date of the enactment of 
this Act (in this Act referred to as the ``State statute''), for 
planning, design, environmental compliance, and construction required 
in carrying out eligible projects in the Colusa Basin Watershed to--
            (1)(A) reduce the risk of damage to urban and agricultural 
        areas from flooding or the discharge of drainage water or 
        tailwater;
            (B) assist in groundwater recharge efforts to alleviate 
        overdraft and land subsidence; or
            (C) construct, restore, or preserve wetland and riparian 
        habitat; and
            (2) capture, as an incidental purpose of any of the 
        purposes referred to in paragraph (1), surface or stormwater 
        for conservation, conjunctive use, and increased water 
        supplies.

SEC. 3. PROJECT SELECTION.

    (a) Eligible Projects.--A project shall be an eligible project for 
purposes of section 2 only if it is--
            (1) consistent with the plan for flood protection and 
        integrated resources management described in the document 
        entitled ``Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/
        Environmental Impact Report and Draft Program Financing Plan, 
        Integrated Resources Management Program for Flood Control in 
        the Colusa Basin'', dated May 2000; and
            (2) carried out in accordance with that document and all 
        environmental documentation requirements that apply to the 
        project under the laws of the United States and the State of 
        California.
    (b) Compatibility Requirement.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
projects for which assistance is provided under this Act are not 
inconsistent with watershed protection and environmental restoration 
efforts being carried out under the authority of the Central Valley 
Project Improvement Act (Public Law 102-575; 106 Stat. 4706 et seq.) or 
the CALFED Bay-Delta Program.

SEC. 4. COST SHARING.

    (a) Non-Federal Share.--The Secretary shall require that the 
District and cooperating non-Federal agencies or organizations pay--
            (1) 25 percent of the costs associated with construction of 
        any project carried out with assistance provided under this 
        Act;
            (2) 100 percent of any operation, maintenance, and 
        replacement and rehabilitation costs with respect to such a 
        project; and
            (3) 35 percent of the costs associated with planning, 
        design, and environmental compliance activities.
    (b) Planning, Design, and Compliance Assistance.--Funds 
appropriated pursuant to this Act may be made available to fund 65 
percent of costs incurred for planning, design, and environmental 
compliance activities by the District or by local agencies acting 
pursuant to the State statute, in accordance with agreements with the 
Secretary.
    (c) Treatment of Contributions.--For purposes of this section, the 
Secretary shall treat the value of lands, interests in lands (including 
rights-of-way and other easements), and necessary relocations 
contributed by the District to a project as a payment by the District 
of the costs of the project.

SEC. 5. COSTS NONREIMBURSABLE.

    Amounts expended pursuant to this Act shall be considered 
nonreimbursable for purposes of the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388; 
43 U.S.C. 371 et seq.), and Acts amendatory thereof and supplemental 
thereto.

SEC. 6. AGREEMENTS.

    Funds appropriated pursuant to this Act may be made available to 
the District or a local agency only if the District or local agency, as 
applicable, has entered into a binding agreement with the Secretary--
            (1) under which the District or the local agency is 
        required to pay the non-Federal share of the costs of 
        construction required by section 4(a); and
            (2) governing the funding of planning, design, and 
        compliance activities costs under section 4(b).

SEC. 7. REIMBURSEMENT.

    For project work (including work associated with studies, planning, 
design, and construction) carried out by the District or by a local 
agency acting pursuant to the State statute in section 2 before the 
date amounts are provided for the project under this Act, the Secretary 
shall, subject to amounts being made available in advance in 
appropriations Acts, reimburse the District or the local agency, 
without interest, an amount equal to the estimated Federal share of the 
cost of such work under section 4.

SEC. 8. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary may enter into cooperative 
agreements and contracts with the District to assist the Secretary in 
carrying out the purposes of this Act.
    (b) Subcontracting.--Under such cooperative agreements and 
contracts, the Secretary may authorize the District to manage and let 
contracts and receive reimbursements, subject to amounts being made 
available in advance in appropriations Acts, for work carried out under 
such contracts or subcontracts.

SEC. 9. RELATIONSHIP TO RECLAMATION REFORM ACT OF 1982.

    Activities carried out, and financial assistance provided, under 
this Act shall not be considered a supplemental or additional benefit 
for purposes of the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (96 Stat. 1263; 43 
U.S.C. 390aa et seq.).

SEC. 10. APPROPRIATIONS AUTHORIZED.

    Within existing budgetary authority and subject to the availability 
of appropriations, the Secretary is authorized to expend up to 
$25,000,000, plus such additional amount, if any, as may be required by 
reason of changes in costs of services of the types involved in the 
District's projects as shown by engineering and other relevant indexes 
to carry out this Act. Sums appropriated under this section shall 
remain available until expended.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 18, 2000.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.