I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 23 
To provide drought relief in the State of California, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 3, 2017 
Mr. VALADAO (for himself, Mr. NUNES, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. COOK, Mr. 
ISSA, Mr. ROYCE of California, Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California, Mr. 
CALVERT, Mr. KNIGHT, Mr. MCCARTHY, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. LAMALFA, 
and Mr. MCCLINTOCK) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide drought relief in the State of 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 ‘‘Gaining Responsibility 
on Water Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jan 05, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6211
E:\BILLS\H23.IH
H23
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
TITLE I—CENTRAL VALLEY PROJECT WATER RELIABILITY 
Sec. 101. Amendment to purposes. 
Sec. 102. Amendment to definition. 
Sec. 103. Contracts. 
Sec. 104. Water transfers, improved water management, and conservation. 
Sec. 105. Fish, wildlife, and habitat restoration. 
Sec. 106. Restoration fund. 
Sec. 107. Additional authorities. 
Sec. 108. Bay-Delta Accord. 
Sec. 109. Natural and artificially spawned species. 
Sec. 110. Regulatory streamlining. 
Sec. 111. Additional emergency consultation. 
Sec. 112. Regarding the operation of Folsom Reservoir. 
Sec. 113. Applicants. 
Sec. 114. San Joaquin River settlement. 
TITLE II—CALFED STORAGE FEASIBILITY STUDIES 
Sec. 201. Studies. 
Sec. 202. Temperance Flat. 
Sec. 203. CALFED storage accountability. 
Sec. 204. Water storage project construction. 
TITLE III—WATER RIGHTS PROTECTIONS 
Sec. 301. Offset for State Water Project. 
Sec. 302. Area of origin protections. 
Sec. 303. No redirected adverse impacts. 
Sec. 304. Allocations for Sacramento Valley contractors. 
Sec. 305. Effect on existing obligations. 
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS 
Sec. 401. Water supply accounting. 
Sec. 402. Operations of the Trinity River Division. 
Sec. 403. Report on results of water usage. 
Sec. 404. Klamath project consultation applicants. 
Sec. 405. Losses caused by the construction and operation of storage projects. 
Sec. 406. CA State Water Resources Control Board. 
TITLE V—WATER SUPPLY PERMITTING ACT 
Sec. 501. Short title. 
Sec. 502. Definitions. 
Sec. 503. Establishment of lead agency and cooperating agencies. 
Sec. 504. Bureau responsibilities. 
Sec. 505. Cooperating agency responsibilities. 
Sec. 506. Funding to process permits. 
TITLE VI—BUREAU OF RECLAMATION PROJECT STREAMLINING 
Sec. 601. Short title. 
Sec. 602. Definitions. 
Sec. 603. Acceleration of studies. 
Sec. 604. Expedited completion of reports. 
Sec. 605. Project acceleration. 
Sec. 606. Annual report to Congress. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jan 05, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6211
E:\BILLS\H23.IH
H23
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
TITLE VII—ACCELERATED REVENUE, REPAYMENT, AND 
SURFACE WATER STORAGE ENHANCEMENT 
Sec. 701. Short title. 
Sec. 702. Prepayment of certain repayment contracts between the United 
States and contractors of federally developed water supplies. 
TITLE VIII—SAFETY OF DAMS 
Sec. 801. Authorization of additional project benefits. 
TITLE IX—WATER RIGHTS PROTECTION 
Sec. 901. Short title. 
Sec. 902. Definition of water right. 
Sec. 903. Treatment of water rights. 
Sec. 904. Recognition of State authority. 
Sec. 905. Effect of title. 
TITLE I—CENTRAL VALLEY 
PROJECT WATER RELIABILITY 
SEC. 101. AMENDMENT TO PURPOSES. 
Section 3402 of the Central Valley Project Improve-
ment Act (106 Stat. 4706) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (f), by striking the period at 
the end; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) to ensure that water dedicated to fish and wild-
life purposes by this title is replaced and provided to Cen-
tral Valley Project water contractors by December 31, 
2018, at the lowest cost reasonably achievable; and 
‘‘(h) to facilitate and expedite water transfers in ac-
cordance with this Act.’’. 
SEC. 102. AMENDMENT TO DEFINITION. 
Section 3403 of the Central Valley Project Improve-
ment Act (106 Stat. 4707) is amended— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jan 05, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H23.IH
H23
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) the term ‘anadromous fish’ means those native 
stocks of salmon (including steelhead) and sturgeon that, 
as of October 30, 1992, were present in the Sacramento 
and San Joaquin Rivers and their tributaries and ascend 
those rivers and their tributaries to reproduce after matur-
ing in San Francisco Bay or the Pacific Ocean;’’; 
(2) in subsection (l), by striking ‘‘and,’’; 
(3) in subsection (m), by striking the period 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(n) the term ‘reasonable flows’ means water flows 
capable of being maintained taking into account com-
peting consumptive uses of water and economic, environ-
mental, and social factors.’’. 
SEC. 103. CONTRACTS. 
Section 3404 of the Central Valley Project Improve-
ment Act (106 Stat. 4708) is amended— 
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘LIMITATION 
ON
CONTRACTING
AND
CONTRACT
REFORM’’ 
and inserting ‘‘CONTRACTS’’; and 
(2) by striking the language of the section and 
by adding: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jan 05, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H23.IH
H23
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(a) RENEWAL
OF EXISTING LONG-TERM CON-
TRACTS.—Upon request of the contractor, the Secretary 
shall renew any existing long-term repayment or water 
service contract that provides for the delivery of water 
from the Central Valley Project for a period of 40 years. 
‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATION OF CONTRACTS.—Except as 
expressly provided by this Act, any existing long-term re-
payment or water service contract for the delivery of water 
from the Central Valley Project shall be administered pur-
suant to the Act of July 2, 1956 (70 Stat. 483). 
‘‘(c) DELIVERY CHARGE.—Beginning on the date of 
the enactment of this Act, a contract entered into or re-
newed pursuant to this section shall include a provision 
that requires the Secretary to charge the other party to 
such contract only for water actually delivered by the Sec-
retary.’’. 
SEC. 104. WATER TRANSFERS, IMPROVED WATER MANAGE-
MENT, AND CONSERVATION. 
Section 3405 of the Central Valley Project Improve-
ment Act (106 Stat. 4709) is amended as follows: 
(1) In subsection (a)— 
(A) by inserting before ‘‘Except as pro-
vided herein’’ the following: ‘‘The Secretary 
shall take all necessary actions to facilitate and 
expedite transfers of Central Valley Project 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jan 05, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H23.IH
H23
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
water in accordance with this Act or any other 
provision of Federal reclamation law and the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘to 
combination’’ and inserting ‘‘or combination’’; 
(C) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(E) The contracting district from which 
the water is coming, the agency, or the Sec-
retary shall determine if a written transfer pro-
posal is complete within 45 days after the date 
of submission of such proposal. If such district 
or agency or the Secretary determines that such 
proposal is incomplete, such district or agency 
or the Secretary shall state with specificity 
what must be added to or revised in order for 
such proposal to be complete. 
‘‘(F) Except as provided in this section, 
the Secretary shall not impose mitigation or 
other requirements on a proposed transfer, but 
the contracting district from which the water is 
coming or the agency shall retain all authority 
under State law to approve or condition a pro-
posed transfer.’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jan 05, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H23.IH
H23
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of 
Federal reclamation law— 
‘‘(A) the authority to make transfers or ex-
changes of, or banking or recharge arrange-
ments using, Central Valley Project water that 
could have been conducted before October 30, 
1992, is valid, and such transfers, exchanges, 
or arrangements shall not be subject to, limited, 
or conditioned by this title; and 
‘‘(B) this title shall not supersede or re-
voke the authority to transfer, exchange, bank, 
or recharge Central Valley Project water that 
existed prior to October 30, 1992.’’. 
(2) In subsection (b)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘METER-
ING’’ and inserting ‘‘MEASUREMENT’’; and 
(B) by inserting after the first sentence 
the following: ‘‘The contracting district or agen-
cy, not including contracting districts serving 
multiple agencies with separate governing 
boards, shall ensure that all contractor-owned 
water delivery systems within its boundaries 
measure surface water at the district or agen-
cy’s facilities up to the point the surface water 
is commingled with other water supplies.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:07 Jan 05, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H23.IH
H23
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS