I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2882

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 17, 2000

Referred to the Committee on Resources

AN ACT

To authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct certain

feasibility studies to augment water supplies for the

Klamath Project, Oregon and California, 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 ‘‘Klamath Basin Water

5 Supply Enhancement Act of 2000’’.
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1 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION TO CONDUCT FEASIBILITY STUD2 IES.

3 In order to help meet the growing water needs in the

4 Klamath River basin, to improve water quality, to facili5 tate the efforts of the State of Oregon to resolve water

6 rights claims in the Upper Klamath River Basin including

7 facilitation of Klamath tribal water rights claims, and to

8 reduce conflicts over water between the Upper and Lower

9 Klamath Basins, the Secretary of the Interior (hereafter

10 referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) is authorized and directed,

11 in consultation with affected state, local and tribal inter12 ests, stakeholder groups and the interested public, to en13 gage in feasibility studies of the following proposals re14 lated to the Upper Klamath Basin and the Klamath

15 Project, a federal reclamation project in Oregon and Cali16 fornia:

17 (1) Increasing the storage capacity, and/or the

18 yield of the Klamath Project facilities while improv19 ing water quality, consistent with the protection of

20 fish and wildlife.

21 (2) The potential for development of additional

22 Klamath Basin groundwater supplies to improve

23 water quantity and quality, including the effect of

24 such groundwater development on non-project lands,

25 groundwater and surface water supplies, and fish

26 and wildlife.
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1 (3) The potential for further innovations in the

2 use of existing water resources, or market-based ap3 proaches, in order to meet growing water needs con4 sistent with state water law.

5 SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL STUDIES.

6 (a) NON-PROJECT LANDS.—The Secretary may enter

7 into an agreement with the Oregon Department of Water

8 Resources to fund studies relating to the water supply

9 needs of non-project lands in the Upper Klamath Basin.

10 (b) SURVEYS.—To further the purposes of this Act,

11 the Secretary is authorized to compile information on na12 tive fish species in the Upper Klamath River Basin, up13 stream of Upper Klamath Lake. Wherever possible, the

14 Secretary should use data already developed by Federal

15 agencies and other stakeholders in the Basin.

16 (c) HYDROLOGIC STUDIES.—The Secretary is di17 rected to complete ongoing hydrologic surveys in the

18 Klamath River Basin currently being conducted by the

19 U.S. Geological Survey.

20 (d) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary

21 shall submit the findings of the studies conducted under

22 section 2 and Section 3(a) of this Act to the Congress

23 within 90 days of each study’s completion, together with

24 any recommendations for projects.
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1 SEC. 4. LIMITATION.

2 Activities funded under this Act shall not be consid3 ered a supplemental or additional benefit under the Act

4 of June 17, 1902 (82 Stat. 388) and all Acts amendatory

5 thereof or supplementary thereto.

6 SEC. 5. WATER RIGHTS

7 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to—

8 (1) create, by implication or otherwise, any re9 served water right or other right to the use of water;

10 (2) invalidate, preempt, or create any exception

11 to State water law or an interstate compact gov12 erning water;

13 (3) alter the rights of any State to any appro14 priated share of the waters of any body or surface

15 or groundwater, whether determined by past or fu16 ture interstate compacts or by past or future legisla17 tive or final judicial allocations;

18 (4) preempt or modify any State or Federal law

19 or interstate compact dealing with water quality or

20 disposal; or

21 (5) confer upon any non-Federal entity the abil22 ity to exercise any Federal right to the waters of any

23 stream or to any groundwater resources.
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1 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

2 There are authorized such sums as necessary to carry

3 out the purposes of this Act. Activities conducted under

4 this Act shall be non-reimbursable and nonreturnable.

Passed the Senate October 13 (legislative day, September 22), 2000.

Attest: GARY SISCO,

Secretary.