I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4459
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 
MAY 20, 2004
Mr. POMBO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Resources 
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 ‘‘Llagas Reclamation 
Groundwater Remediation Initiative’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purposes of this Act: 
(1) GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION.—The term 
‘‘groundwater remediation’’ means actions that are 
necessary to prevent, minimize, or mitigate damage 
to groundwater. 
(2) LOCAL
WATER
AUTHORITY.—The term 
‘‘local water authority’’ means the Santa Clara Val-
ley Water District. 
(3) REMEDIATION FUND.—The term ‘‘Remedi-
ation Fund’’ means the California Basins Ground-
water Remediation Fund established pursuant to 
section 3(a). 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
SEC. 3. CALIFORNIA BASINS REMEDIATION. 
(a) CALIFORNIA BASINS REMEDIATION.—
(1) 
ESTABLISHMENT
OF
REMEDIATION 
FUND.—There shall be established within the Treas-
ury of the United States an interest bearing account 
to be known as the California Basins Groundwater 
Remediation Fund. 
(2) 
ADMINISTRATION
OF
REMEDIATION 
FUND.—The Remediation Fund shall be adminis-
tered by the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Bureau of Reclamation. The Secretary
shall administer the Remediation Fund in coopera-
tion with the local water authority. 
(3) PURPOSES OF REMEDIATION FUND.—
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the amounts in the Remediation 
Fund, including interest accrued, shall be used 
by the Secretary to provide grants to the local 
water authority to reimburse the local water au-
thority for the Federal share of the costs associ-
ated with designing and constructing ground-
water remediation 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 Reme-
diation 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 project are from 
funds provided to the Secretary for that 
project by the non-Federal interests. 
(ii) 
NON-FEDERAL
RESPONSI-
BILITY.—Each local water authority shall
be responsible for providing the non-Fed-
eral 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 portion 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 com-
patible with the purposes of this section, 
including—
(I) all expenditures made by non-
Federal interests to design and con-
struct 
groundwater 
remediation 
projects, including expenditures asso-
ciated 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 facilitate remediation and protection of the Llagas 
groundwater subbasin. In carrying out the activities de-
scribed in this section, the Secretary shall integrate such 
activities with ongoing Federal and State projects and ac-
tivities. None of the funds made available for such activi-
ties pursuant to this section shall be counted against any 
Federal authorization ceiling established for any pre-
viously authorized Federal projects or activities. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Remediation Fund
$25,000,000. Such funds shall remain available until ex-
pended.
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