II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 519 

To amend the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources Conservation and 

Improvement Act of 2000 to authorize additional projects and activities 

under that Act, and for other purposes 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 3, 2005 

Mrs. HUTCHISON introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources 

Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000 to authorize 

additional projects and activities under that Act, 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 ‘‘Lower Rio Grande Val5 ley Water Resources Conservation and Improvement Act 

6 of 2005’’. 
2 

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1 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF ADDITIONAL PROJECTS AND 

2 ACTIVITIES UNDER THE LOWER RIO GRANDE 

3 WATER CONSERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT 

4 PROGRAM. 

5 (a) ADDITIONAL PROJECTS.—Section 4(a) of the 

6 Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources Conservation 

7 and Improvement Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–576; 114 

8 Stat. 3067) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(20) In Cameron County, Texas, Bayview Irri10 gation District No. 11, water conservation and im11 provement projects as identified in the March 3, 

12 2004, engineering report by NRS Consulting Engi13 neers at a cost of $1,425,219. 

14 ‘‘(21) In the Cameron County, Texas, Browns15 ville Irrigation District, water conservation and im16 provement projects as identified in the February 11, 

17 2004, engineering report by NRS Consulting Engi18 neers at a cost of $722,100. 

19 ‘‘(22) In the Cameron County, Texas Harlingen 

20 Irrigation District No. 1, water conservation and im21 provement projects as identified in the March, 2004, 

22 engineering report by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a 

23 cost of $4,173,950. 

24 ‘‘(23) In the Cameron County, Texas, Cameron 

25 County Irrigation District No. 2, water conservation 

26 and improvement projects as identified in the Feb-
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1 ruary 11, 2004, engineering report by NRS Con2 sulting Engineers at a cost of $8,269,576. 

3 ‘‘(24) In the Cameron County, Texas, Cameron 

4 County Irrigation District No. 6, water conservation 

5 and improvement projects as identified in an engi6 neering report by Turner Collie Braden, Inc., at a 

7 cost of $5,607,300. 

8 ‘‘(25) In the Cameron County, Texas, Adams 

9 Gardens Irrigation District No. 19, water conserva10 tion and improvement projects as identified in the 

11 March, 2004, engineering report by Axiom-Blair En12 gineering at a cost of $2,500,000. 

13 ‘‘(26) In the Hidalgo and Cameron Counties, 

14 Texas, Hidalgo and Cameron Counties Irrigation 

15 District No. 9, water conservation and improvement 

16 projects as identified by the February 11 engineer17 ing report by NRS Consulting Engineers at a cost 

18 of $8,929,152. 

19 ‘‘(27) In the Hidalgo and Willacy Counties, 

20 Texas, Delta Lake Irrigation District, water con21 servation and improvement projects as identified in 

22 the March, 2004, engineering report by Axiom-Blair 

23 Engineering at a cost of $8,000,000. 

24 ‘‘(28) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo 

25 County Irrigation District No. 2, a water conserva-
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1 tion and improvement project identified in the engi2 neering reports attached to a letter dated February 

3 11, 2004, from the district’s general manager, at a 

4 cost of $5,312,475. 

5 ‘‘(29) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo 

6 County Irrigation District No. 1, water conservation 

7 and improvement projects identified in an engineer8 ing report dated March 5, 2004, by Melden and 

9 Hunt, Inc. at a cost of $5,595,018. 

10 ‘‘(30) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo 

11 County Irrigation District No. 6, water conservation 

12 and improvement projects as identified in the 

13 March, 2004, engineering report by Axiom-Blair En14 gineering at a cost of $3,450,000. 

15 ‘‘(31) In the Hidalgo County, Texas Santa 

16 Cruz Irrigation District No. 15, water conservation 

17 and improvement projects as identified in an engi18 neering report dated March 5, 2004, by Melden and 

19 Hunt at a cost of $4,609,000. 

20 ‘‘(32) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Engelman 

21 Irrigation District, water conservation and improve22 ment projects as identified in an engineering report 

23 dated March 5, 2004, by Melden and Hunt, Inc. at 

24 a cost of $2,251,480. 
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1 ‘‘(33) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Valley 

2 Acres Water District, water conservation and im3 provement projects as identified in an engineering 

4 report dated March, 2004, by Axiom-Blair Engineer5 ing at a cost of $500,000. 

6 ‘‘(34) In the Hudspeth County, Texas, 

7 Hudspeth County Conservation and Reclamation 

8 District No. 1, water conservation and improvement 

9 projects as identified in the March, 2004, engineer10 ing report by Axiom-Blair Engineering at a cost of 

11 $1,500,000. 

12 ‘‘(35) In the El Paso County, Texas, El Paso 

13 County Water Improvement District No. 1, water 

14 conservation and improvement projects as identified 

15 in the March, 2004, engineering report by Axiom16 Blair Engineering at a cost of $10,500,000. 

17 ‘‘(36) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Donna Ir18 rigation District, water conservation and improve19 ment projects identified in an engineering report 

20 dated March 22, 2004, by Melden and Hunt, Inc. at 

21 a cost of $2,500,000. 

22 ‘‘(37) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo 

23 County Irrigation District No. 16, water conserva24 tion and improvement projects identified in an engi-
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1 neering report dated March 22, 2004, by Melden 

2 and Hunt, Inc. at a cost of $2,800,000. 

3 ‘‘(38) The United Irrigation District of Hidalgo 

4 County water conservation and improvement 

5 projects identified in a March, 2004, engineering re6 port by Sigler Winston, Greenwood and Associates 

7 at a cost of $6,067,021.’’. 

8 (b) INCLUSION OF ACTIVITIES TO CONSERVE WATER

9 OR IMPROVE SUPPLY; TRANSFERS AMONG PROJECTS.— 

10 Section 4 of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Re11 sources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000 (Pub12 lic Law 106–576; 114 Stat. 3067) is amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub14 section (e); and 

15 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(c) INCLUSION OF ACTIVITIES TO CONSERVE

18 WATER OR IMPROVE SUPPLY.—In addition to the activi19 ties identified in the engineering reports referred to in 

20 subsection (a), each project that the Secretary conducts 

21 or participates in under subsection (a) may include any 

22 of the following: 

23 ‘‘(1) The replacement of irrigation canals and 

24 lateral canals with buried pipelines. 
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1 ‘‘(2) The impervious lining of irrigation canals 

2 and lateral canals. 

3 ‘‘(3) Installation of water level, flow measure4 ment, pump control, and telemetry systems. 

5 ‘‘(4) The renovation and replacement of pump6 ing plants. 

7 ‘‘(5) Other activities that will result in the con8 servation of water or an improved supply of water. 

9 ‘‘(d) TRANSFERS AMONG PROJECTS.—Of amounts 

10 made available for a project referred to in any of para11 graphs (20) through (38) of subsection (a), the Secretary 

12 may transfer and use for another such project up to 10 

13 percent.’’. 

14 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR 

15 LOWER RIO GRANDE CONSTRUCTION. 

16 Section 4(e) of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water 

17 Resources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000 

18 (Public Law 106–576; 114 Stat. 3067) (as redesignated 

19 by section 2(b)) is amended by inserting before the period 

20 the following: ‘‘for projects referred to in paragraphs (1) 

21 through (19) of subsection (a), and $42,356,145 (2004 

22 dollars) for projects referred to in paragraphs (20) 

23 through (38) of subsection (a)’’. 

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