IB 
Union Calendar No. 408 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4606 
[Report No. 108–668] 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 
Reclamation and in coordination with other Federal, State, and local 
government agencies, to participate in the funding and implementation 
of a balanced, long-term groundwater remediation program in California, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 17, 2004 
Mr. BACA (for himself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. CALVERT, Ms. MILLENDER- 
MCDONALD, Ms. LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ of California, and Mr. GARY G. 
MILLER of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Resources 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2004 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 17, 2004] 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through 
the Bureau of Reclamation and in coordination with 
other Federal, State, and local government agencies, to 
participate in the funding and implementation of a bal-
anced, long-term groundwater remediation program in 
California, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southern California 
Groundwater Remediation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purposes of this Act: 
(1) GROUNDWATER
REMEDIATION.—The term 
‘‘groundwater remediation’’ means actions that are 
necessary to prevent, minimize, clean up, or mitigate 
damage to groundwater. 
(2) LOCAL WATER AUTHORITY.—The term ‘‘local 
water authority’’ means a currently existing (on the 
date of the enactment of this Act) public water dis-
trict, public water utility, public water planning 
agency, municipality, or Indian Tribe located within 
the natural watershed of the Santa Ana River in the 
State of California. 
(3) REMEDIATION
FUND.—The term ‘‘Remedi-
ation Fund’’ means the Southern California Ground-
water Remediation Fund established pursuant to sec-
tion 3(a). 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 3. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GROUNDWATER REMEDI-
ATION. 
(a) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GROUNDWATER REMEDI-
ATION.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF REMEDIATION FUND.— 
There shall be established within the Treasury of the 
United States an interest bearing account to be 
known as the ‘‘Southern California Groundwater Re-
mediation Fund’’. 
(2) ADMINISTRATION OF REMEDIATION FUND.— 
The Remediation Fund shall be administered by the 
Secretary, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation. 
The Secretary shall administer the Remediation Fund 
in cooperation with the local water authority. 
(3) PURPOSES OF REMEDIATION FUND.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subparagraph 
(B), the amounts in the Remediation Fund, in-
cluding interest accrued, shall be used by the 
Secretary to provide grants to the local water 
authority to reimburse the local water authority 
for the Federal share of the costs associated with 
designing and constructing groundwater remedi-
ation projects to be administered by the local 
water authority. 
(B) COST-SHARING LIMITATION.—
(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 
not obligate any funds appropriated to the 
Remediation Fund in a fiscal year until the 
Secretary has deposited into the Remedi-
ation Fund an amount provided by non- 
Federal interests sufficient to ensure that at 
least 35 percent of any funds obligated by 
the Secretary for a groundwater remedi-
ation project are from funds provided to the 
Secretary for that project by the non-Fed-
eral interests. 
(ii) NON-FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITY.— 
Each local water authority shall be respon-
sible for providing the non-Federal amount 
required by clause (i) for projects under 
that local water authority. The State of 
California, local government agencies, and 
private entities may provide all or any por-
tion of the non-Federal amount. 
(iii) CREDITS TOWARD NON-FEDERAL 
SHARE.—For purposes of clause (ii), the 
Secretary shall credit the appropriate local 
water authority with the value of all prior 
expenditures by non-Federal interests made 
after January 1, 2000, that are compatible
with the purposes of this section, includ-
ing— 
(I) all expenditures made by non- 
Federal interests to design and con-
struct 
groundwater 
remediation 
projects, including expenditures associ-
ated with environmental analyses, and 
public involvement activities that were 
required to implement the groundwater 
remediation projects in compliance 
with applicable Federal and State 
laws; and 
(II) all expenditures made by 
non-Federal interests to acquire lands, 
easements, rights-of-way, relocations, 
disposal areas, and water rights that 
were required to implement a ground-
water remediation project. 
(b) COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW.—In car-
rying out the activities described in this section, the Sec-
retary shall comply with any applicable Federal and State 
laws. 
(c) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ACTIVITIES.—Nothing 
in this section shall be construed to affect other Federal or 
State authorities that are being used or may be used to fa-
cilitate remediation and protection of the groundwater in 
the natural watershed of the Santa Ana River in the State 
of California. In carrying out the activities described in 
this section, the Secretary shall integrate such activities 
with ongoing Federal and State projects and activities. 
None of the funds made available for such activities pursu-
ant to this section shall be counted against any Federal au-
thorization ceiling established for any previously authorized 
Federal projects or activities. 
(d) FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND AUDITS.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure that all funds obligated and disbursed 
under this Act and expended by a local water authority, 
are accounted for in accordance with generally accepted ac-
counting principles and are subjected to regular audits in 
accordance with applicable procedures, manuals, and circu-
lars of the Department of the Interior and the Office of 
Management and Budget. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Remediation such sums 
as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act 
to remain available until expended.
Union Calendar No. 408 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4606 
[Report No. 108–668] 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Bureau of Reclamation and in co-
ordination with other Federal, State, and local 
government agencies, to participate in the fund-
ing and implementation of a balanced, long-term 
groundwater remediation program in California, 
and for other purposes. 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2004 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed