I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1769 
To affirm an agreement between the United States and Westlands Water 
District dated September 15, 2015, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 28, 2017 
Mr. VALADAO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To affirm an agreement between the United States and 
Westlands Water District dated September 15, 2015, 
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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘San Luis Unit Drainage Resolution Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
Sec. 3. Approval of agreement. 
Sec. 4. Relief from drainage obligation. 
Sec. 5. Drainage implementation. 
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Sec. 6. Water delivery contracts. 
Sec. 7. Repayment obligations. 
Sec. 8. Transfer of title to certain facilities. 
Sec. 9. Compliance with applicable law. 
Sec. 10. No water supply or financial impacts on other Central Valley Project 
contractors. 
Sec. 11. Restoration Fund payments by Westlands Water District. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CENTRAL VALLEY PROJECT IMPROVEMENT 
ACT
OF
1992
DEFINITIONS.—As used herein, the 
terms ‘‘repayment contractor’’, ‘‘water service con-
tractor’’, ‘‘water service contract’’, ‘‘exchange con-
tractor’’, ‘‘exchange contract’’, ‘‘water rights settle-
ment contractor’’, ‘‘water rights settlement con-
tract’’, ‘‘refuge contractor’’, and ‘‘refuge contract’’ 
shall have the same meanings respectively as each of 
those terms has in title XXXIV of the Central Val-
ley Project Improvement Act of 1992 (106 Stat. 
4705). 
(2) CONDITION
OF
SHORTAGE.—The term 
‘‘Condition of Shortage’’ means ‘‘Condition of Short-
age’’ as that term is defined in existing San Luis 
Unit water service contracts. 
(3) CONTRACTING OFFICER.—The term ‘‘Con-
tracting Officer’’ means ‘‘Contracting Officer’’ as 
that term is defined in existing San Luis Unit water 
service contracts. 
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(4) PROJECT.—The term ‘‘Project’’ means the 
Central Valley Project, owned by the United States 
and managed by the Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Reclamation. 
(5) PROJECT
WATER.—The term ‘‘Project 
Water’’ means all water that is developed, diverted, 
stored, or delivered by the Secretary in accordance 
with the statutes authorizing the Project and in ac-
cordance with the terms and conditions of water 
rights acquired pursuant to California law. 
(6) REPAYMENT CONTRACT.—The term ‘‘repay-
ment contract’’ means the repayment contract con-
verted under section 6(a). 
(7) SAN LUIS ACT.—The term ‘‘San Luis Act’’ 
means the Act of June 3, 1960 (Public Law 86– 
488), and all Acts amendatory thereof and supple-
mentary thereto. 
(8) SAN
LUIS
UNIT.—The term ‘‘San Luis 
Unit’’ means those lands identified in section 1 of 
the San Luis Act. 
(9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(10) 
WESTLANDS
AGREEMENT.—The 
term 
‘‘Westlands Agreement’’ means the ‘‘Agreement be-
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tween the United States and Westlands Water Dis-
trict August 2015’’, signed September 15, 2015. 
(11) WESTLANDS.—The term ‘‘Westlands’’ 
means the Westlands Water District (including 
Broadview Water District lands annexed within 
Westlands Water District) located in Fresno and 
Kings Counties, California. 
SEC. 3. APPROVAL OF AGREEMENT. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, unless 
otherwise specified herein, the Secretary is hereby directed 
to implement the terms and conditions of the Westlands 
Agreement. 
SEC. 4. RELIEF FROM DRAINAGE OBLIGATION. 
The San Luis Act is amended as follows: 
(1) In the second sentence of section 1(a) after 
the words ‘‘related facilities’’, strike ‘‘but’’ and add 
‘‘but such features do not include distribution sys-
tems or drains within Westlands, and’’. 
(2) In the sixth sentence of section 1(a), by in-
serting the following at the end of the sentence: ‘‘ex-
cept that the provision of drainage or drainage serv-
ice under section 1(a) shall not apply to lands within 
Westlands.’’. 
(3) In section 5, by striking the first sentence 
and inserting ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision 
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of law, the Secretary of the Interior shall have no 
duty to provide drainage or drainage service to 
Westlands. Westlands shall be responsible for the 
management of drainage water within its bound-
aries, in accordance with Federal and California law 
consistent with the ‘Agreement between the United 
States and Westlands Water District August 2015’, 
signed September 15, 2015.’’. 
(4) In the first sentence of section 8 by striking 
the words ‘‘other than distribution systems and 
drains,’’. 
(5) In the third sentence of section 8, strike ev-
erything between the word ‘‘required’’ through and 
including ‘‘(b)’’ inserting a period following the word 
‘‘unit’’ Strike the remainder of the proviso in section 
8. 
SEC. 5. DRAINAGE IMPLEMENTATION. 
Upon enactment of this Act, and as provided in the 
Westlands Agreement, Westlands shall assume all legal re-
sponsibility for the management of drainage water within 
its boundaries in accordance with Federal and California 
law; provided that Westlands shall not discharge drainage 
water outside of its boundaries. 
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SEC. 6. WATER DELIVERY CONTRACTS. 
(a) CONTRACT CONVERSION.—The Secretary is di-
rected to convert Westlands’ existing long-term or interim 
renewal water service contracts entered into under section 
9(e) of the Act of August 4, 1939 (53 Stat. 1196), to 
a repayment contract under sections 9(d) and 9(c)(1) of 
the Act of August 4, 1939 (53 Stat. 1195, 1194), con-
sistent with the Westlands Agreement. 
(b) ALLOCATION DECISIONS.— 
(1) Notwithstanding subsection (a) and as pro-
vided in the Westlands Agreement, the Secretary 
shall make allocation decisions in the Project affect-
ing Westlands consistent with the requirements of 
all current or future enacted Federal law including, 
but not limited, to the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), Reclamation law, 
and all decisions of the California State Water Re-
sources Control Board establishing conditions on ap-
plicable licenses and permits for the Central Valley 
Project. 
(2) Conversion of Westlands’ contracts in sub-
section (a) shall not afford Westlands a greater or 
lesser right to an annual allocation of Project Water 
than it had prior to the conversion of its contract 
under this Act. 
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(3) If there is a Condition of Shortage in the 
amount of water available for delivery to Westlands 
because of errors in physical operations of the 
Project, drought, other physical causes beyond the 
control of the Contracting Officer or actions taken 
by the Contracting Officer to meet legal obligations 
and no liability shall accrue against the United 
States or any of its officers, agents or employees for 
any damage, direct or indirect, arising therefrom. 
(c) WATER
SERVICE
CONTRACT
FOR
LEMOORE 
NAVAL AIR STATION.— 
(1) The Secretary is directed to enter into a 
contract under section 9(e) of the Act of August 4, 
1939 (53 Stat. 1196), with the Secretary of the 
Navy for the delivery of Project Water to the 
Lemoore Naval Air Station to meet the irrigation 
needs of Lemoore Naval Air Station associated with 
air operations. 
(2) The contract amount of Project Water 
made available to the Lemoore Naval Air Station 
under section 9(e) contract entered into pursuant to 
paragraph (1) shall be determined by the Secretary 
through technical analysis with the Lemoore Naval 
Air Station. 
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(3) In any year in which there may occur a 
Condition of Shortage in the amount of water avail-
able for delivery, the Contracting Officer shall allo-
cate the available Project Water to Lemoore Naval 
Air Station according to the allocation steps for mu-
nicipal and industrial water service contractors 
under the Central Valley Project Municipal and In-
dustrial Water Shortage Policy (Policy) in its form 
on the effective date of the contract referenced in 
paragraph (1) for determining the amount of Project 
Water available for delivery to Lemoore Naval Air 
Station. For purposes of determining ‘‘historical 
use’’ under the Policy, the Secretary shall consider 
past water use for irrigation needs by the Lemoore 
Naval Air Station under the contract authorized by 
this section, or such use previous to the contract. 
SEC. 7. REPAYMENT OBLIGATIONS. 
(a) SUSPENSION OF CAPITAL OBLIGATION.—Upon 
enactment of this Act, Westlands’ capital repayment obli-
gation and payments under its existing water service con-
tracts and the April 1, 1965, repayment contract between 
the United States and Westlands (contract numbered 14– 
06–200–2020–A) as further defined in subsection (d), 
shall be suspended until the execution of the 9(d) repay-
ment contract referenced in section 6, and upon execution 
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of the 9(d) repayment contract, Westlands shall receive 
a credit against future operation and maintenance costs 
payable to the United States in the amount of the capital 
costs under the existing water service contracts and the 
1965 Repayment Contract paid by Westlands between the 
date of the Westlands Agreement and the date of enact-
ment of this Act. 
(b) COSTS.—Costs incurred by the United States for 
purposes of re-evaluating, planning, or providing drainage 
service to Westlands shall be non-reimbursable as set forth 
in paragraphs (9)(C)(iv) of the Westlands Agreement. 
(c) RELIEF
OF
CAPITAL
REPAYMENT
OBLIGA-
TIONS.— 
(1) Upon the date of execution of the 9(d) re-
payment contracts referenced in section 6(a), and as 
set forth in the Westlands Agreement, Westlands 
shall be relieved of— 
(A) its capital repayment obligations under 
the June 5, 1963, water service contract be-
tween the United States and Westlands (con-
tract number 14–06–200–495–A) providing for 
water service, or any renewals thereof, and any 
water service contracts assigned to Westlands, 
Westlands Distribution District No. 1, and 
Westlands Distribution District No. 2 existing 
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