II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5011 

To establish the Integrated Water Management Federal Leadership Committee, to provide for improved drought resilience and dam safety, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 

Mr. PADILLA introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Integrated Water Management Federal 

Leadership Committee, to provide for improved drought 

resilience and dam safety, and for other purposes. 

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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sacramento River Im5 provement and Vitality for Ecosystem Restoration Act of 

6 2024’’ or the ‘‘Sacramento RIVER Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT FEDERAL 

2 LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE FOR ASSISTING 

3 HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECTS. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Committee’’ 

6 means the Integrated Water Management Federal 

7 Leadership Committee established under subsection 

8 (b). 

9 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti10 ty’’ means an entity or qualified partner sponsoring 

11 a habitat restoration project in a watershed in which 

12 a Bureau of Reclamation project is located that re13 ceives a grant, cooperative agreement, or other fi14 nancial assistance agreement from the Secretary. 

15 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

16 the Secretary of the Interior. 

17 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

18 the date on which an eligible entity submits to the Sec19 retary a request for the establishment of the Integrated 

20 Water Management Federal Leadership Committee, the 

21 Secretary may establish the Integrated Water Manage22 ment Federal Leadership Committee. 

23 (c) CHAIRPERSON.—The Assistant Secretary for 

24 Water and Science of the Department of the Interior 

25 shall— 


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1 (1) serve as the chairperson of the Committee; 

2 and 

3 (2) coordinate the activities of, and communica4 tion among, members of the Committee. 

5 (d) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall include rep6 resentatives of Federal agencies, as appropriate, with re7 sponsibility for water and natural resource issues, includ8 ing representatives of— 

9 (1) the Bureau of Reclamation; 

10 (2) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; 

11 (3) the National Marine Fisheries Service; 

12 (4) the Corps of Engineers; 

13 (5) the Environmental Protection Agency; and 

14 (6) the Department of Agriculture. 

15 (e) DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—The members 

16 of the Committee shall establish the duties and respon17 sibilities of the Committee, including— 

18 (1) facilitating communication and collaboration 

19 among Federal agencies to support and advance any 

20 habitat restoration projects for which an eligible en21 tity requests the assistance of the Committee; 

22 (2) ensuring the effective coordination among 

23 relevant Federal agencies and departments to ensure 

24 accelerated implementation of any habitat restoraVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:07 Sep 12, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5011.IS S5011

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1 tion projects for which an eligible entity requests the 

2 assistance of the Committee; 

3 (3) making policy and budgetary recommenda4 tions, if determined to be appropriate by the Com5 mittee, to support the implementation of habitat res6 toration projects; and 

7 (4) reporting biannually to the Committee on 

8 Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and 

9 the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 

10 of Representatives on actions taken by, and rec11 ommendations of, the Committee under paragraphs 

12 (1) through (3). 

13 (f) PROJECT ASSISTANCE.—On request of an eligible 

14 entity, the Committee shall assist the eligible entity with 

15 permit processing and interagency coordination with re16 spect to the applicable habitat restoration project. 

17 SEC. 3. USE OF REVENUE FOR DROUGHT RESILIENCE IN18 VESTMENTS, EXTRAORDINARY MAINTE19 NANCE ACTIVITIES, OR DAM SAFETY INVEST20 MENTS. 

21 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

22 (1) DAM SAFETY INVESTMENT.—The term 

23 ‘‘dam safety investment’’ means a project to satisfy 

24 dam safety standards— 


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1 (A) under the Federal Guidelines for Dam 

2 Safety issued by the Federal Emergency Man3 agement Agency or the Interagency Committee 

4 on Dam Safety; 

5 (B) under the Bureau of Reclamation Dam 

6 Safety Program carried out under the Reclama7 tion Safety of Dams Act of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 

8 506 et seq.), including repayment of an obliga9 tion for a corrective action taken pursuant to 

10 that program; or 

11 (C) required by the State for a non-Fed12 eral dam in which a Bureau of Reclamation 

13 project or facility is located. 

14 (2) DROUGHT RESILIENCE INVESTMENT.—The 

15 term ‘‘drought resilience investment’’ means an im16 provement or addition to an eligible facility that 

17 would increase drought resilience in a Reclamation 

18 State. 

19 (3) ELIGIBLE FACILITY.—The term ‘‘eligible fa20 cility’’ means— 

21 (A) a project or facility owned by the Bu22 reau of Reclamation; and 

23 (B) a non-Federal facility that stores, 

24 transports, or delivers water to or from a Bu25 reau of Reclamation project or facility. 


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1 (4) ELIGIBLE TEMPORARY TRANSFER.—The 

2 term ‘‘eligible temporary transfer’’ means the tem3 porary and voluntary selling, leasing, or exchanging 

4 of water or water rights among individuals or agen5 cies that is allowable under the reclamation laws and 

6 the water law of the applicable State. 

7 (5) EXTRAORDINARY MAINTENANCE ACTIV8 ITY.—The term ‘‘extraordinary maintenance activ9 ity’’ means annual payments on repayment obliga10 tions incurred under section 9603 of the Omnibus 

11 Public Land Management Act of 2009 (43 U.S.C. 

12 510b). 

13 (6) TRANSFEROR.—The term ‘‘transferor’’ 

14 means the holder of a water service, transferred 

15 works, water repayment, or other contract that enti16 tles the holder to water from a Bureau of Reclama17 tion project or facility that undertakes an eligible 

18 temporary transfer. 

19 (b) USE OF REVENUE FOR DROUGHT RESILIENCE

20 INVESTMENTS, EXTRAORDINARY MAINTENANCE ACTIVI21 TIES, OR DAM SAFETY INVESTMENTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the Act of 

23 February 25, 1920 (41 Stat. 451, chapter 86; 43 

24 U.S.C. 521), or subsection J of section 4 of the Act 

25 of December 5, 1924 (43 Stat. 703, chapter 4; 43 


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1 U.S.C. 526), a transferor may retain all amounts 

2 derived from an eligible temporary transfer that 

3 would otherwise be deposited in the reclamation 

4 fund established by the first section of the Act of 

5 June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388, chapter 1093; 43 

6 U.S.C. 391), in accordance with this section. 

7 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—Any funds retained by a 

8 transferor under paragraph (1) may be used on com9 pletion of the repayment of capital, if the funds 

10 are— 

11 (A) used for a drought resilience invest12 ment, extraordinary maintenance activity, or 

13 dam safety investment; or 

14 (B) placed in the reserve account of the 

15 transferor, to be used for future drought resil16 ience investments, extraordinary maintenance 

17 activities, or dam safety investments, subject to 

18 paragraph (3). 

19 (3) TRANSFER OF UNUSED FUNDS TO REC20 LAMATION FUND.—Any funds placed in the reserve 

21 account of the transferor pursuant to paragraph 

22 (2)(B) that are not used for drought resilience in23 vestments, extraordinary maintenance activities, or 

24 dam safety investments by the date that is 10 years 

25 after the date of the placement shall be transferred 


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1 to the reclamation fund established by the first sec2 tion of the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388, 

3 chapter 1093). 

4 (4) REPORTING.—The transferor shall report to 

5 the Commissioner of Reclamation on the use of any 

6 uses of funds derived from an eligible temporary 

7 transfer. 

8 (5) EFFECT OF SECTION.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this sec10 tion— 

11 (i) affects any other authority of the 

12 Secretary of the Interior to use amounts 

13 derived from revenues from a Bureau of 

14 Reclamation project; or 

15 (ii) creates, impairs, alters, or super16 sedes a State water right. 

17 (B) APPLICABLE LAW.—Any eligible tem18 porary transfer shall comply with all applica19 ble— 

20 (i) State water laws; 

21 (ii) Federal laws and policies; and 

22 (iii) interstate water compacts. 

23 (c) RECLAMATION LAWS.—This section supplements 

24 and amends the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388, chapVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:07 Sep 12, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5011.IS S5011

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1 ter 1093), and Acts supplemental to and amendatory of 

2 that Act (43 U.S.C. 371 et seq.). 

Æ 


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