I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1337

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize appropriations in each of fiscal years 1996 through 1998 for the construction

of wastewater treatment facilities to serve U.S. Colonias and to provide

water pollution control in the vicinity of the international boundary

between the United States and Mexico.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 28, 1995

Mr. PASTOR (for himself (by request), Mr. COLEMAN, and Mr. BRYANT of

Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee

on Transportation and Infrastructure

A BILL

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize appropriations in each of fiscal years 1996

through 1998 for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities to serve U.S. Colonias and to provide

water pollution control in the vicinity of the international

boundary between the United States and Mexico.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. ASSISTANCE TO U.S. COLONIAS.

2 Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act

3 (33 U.S.C. 1281 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end

4 the following new section:

5 ‘‘SEC. 220. ASSISTANCE TO U.S. COLONIAS.

6 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to

7 protect the economy, public health, environment, surface

8 water, ground water and water quality in the U.S.

9 Colonias areas which are endangered and are being pol10 luted by raw or partially treated sewage, in furtherance

11 of the goals of this Act.

12 ‘‘(b) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO U.S. COLONIAS.—

13 The Administrator is authorized to provide financial as14 sistance to any State along the United States-Mexico bor15 der, or to any entity designated by the Administrator, for

16 construction of treatment works to serve U.S. Colonias.

17 ‘‘(c) APPROVAL OF PLANS.—Any U.S. Colonias

18 wastewater treatment facility for which financial assist19 ance is provided under this Act shall be constructed in

20 accordance with plans approved by the State under appro21 priate standards established by the Administrator. Such

22 plans shall include construction cost estimates and identify

23 responsible parties and the appropriate allocation of costs

24 associated with operating and maintaining the treatment

25 works.
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1 ‘‘(d) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of con2 struction costs for grants shall be 50 percent of such costs.

3 The non-Federal share shall be paid from State sources.

4 ‘‘(e) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the

5 term ‘U.S. Colonias’ means any identifiable community

6 (including a community within a standard metropolitan

7 statistical area that has a population exceeding 1,000,000,

8 but not including the entire standard metropolitan statis9 tical area) that (1) is in the State of Arizona, California,

10 New Mexico, or Texas; (2) is in the area of the United

11 States within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the border be12 tween the United States and Mexico; (3) is in an unincor13 porated area; (4) was in existence before January 1, 1990;

14 and (5) is determined to be a colonia on the basis of objec15 tive criteria including lack of potable water supply or lack

16 of adequate sewage systems.

17 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

18 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the purpose

19 of this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1996

20 through 1998.’’.

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