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103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4478

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (the Clean Water Act)

to authorize appropriations in each of fiscal years 1994 through 1998

for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities to serve U.S.

Colonias, to provide water pollution control in the vicinity of the international boundary between the United States and Mexico.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 24, 1994

Mr. COPPERSMITH (by request) (for himself, Mr. COLEMAN, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr.

PASTOR, and Mr. BRYANT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Public Works and Transportation

A BILL

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (the

Clean Water Act) to authorize appropriations in each

of fiscal years 1994 through 1998 for the construction

of wastewater treatment facilities to serve U.S. Colonias,

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,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited

4 as the ‘‘U.S. Colonias Water Pollution Control Act’’.
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1 SEC. 2. Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Con2 trol Act (33 U.S.C.A. sections 1251, et seq.) is amended

3 by adding at the end thereof the following new section:

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

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

6 protect the economy, public health, environment, surface

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

8 Colonias areas which are endangered and are being pol9 luted by raw or partially treated sewage, in furtherance

10 of the goals of this Act.

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

12 The Administrator is authorized to provide financial as13 sistance to any U.S. State along the United States-Mexico

14 border, or to any entity designated by the President for

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

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

17 wastewater treatment facility for which financial assist18 ance is provided under this Act shall be constructed in

19 accordance with plans approved by the State under appro20 priate standards required by the Administrator. Such

21 plans shall include construction cost estimates and identify

22 responsible parties and the appropriate allocation of costs

23 associated with operating and maintaining the treatment

24 works.
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1 ‘‘(d) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of con2 struction costs for grants to serve Colonias shall be 50

3 percent to be matched by an equal amount of State funds

4 from State sources.

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

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

7 that—

8 ‘‘(1) is in the State of Arizona, California, New

9 Mexico, or Texas;

10 ‘‘(2) is in the area of the United States within

11 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the border between the

12 United States and Mexico. U.S. Colonias may in13 clude a community within a standard metropolitan

14 statistical area that has a population exceeding

15 1,000,000, but shall not include the entire such

16 standard metropolitan statistical area; and

17 ‘‘(3) is determined to be a Colonia on the basis

18 of objective criteria including lack of potable water

19 supply or lack of adequate sewage systems.

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

21 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the purpose

22 of this section $60,000,000 for fiscal year 1994 and

23 $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1995 through 1998.’’.

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