This bill — known as the GROW Act — would look to modernize federal water policies throughout the western U.S., particularly in the state of California. It would restore water deliveries to California’s Central Valley Project that had been cut off by legal action, make the Bureau of Reclamation the “one-stop shop” for water storage project permits, and enact other reforms aimed at streamlining the construction of new dams and reservoirs.
Central Valley Project Water Reliability
This section of the bill would restore water deliveries that had been cut off by codifying the Bay-Delta accord into law. It would also reaffirm that if the State Water Project (SWP) and Central Valley Project (CVP) are operated consistent with the Bay-Delta Accord then they are in compliance with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.
Native species populations would be protected by allowing the removal of nonnative predatory fish in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and their Delta, and allows artificially spawned Delta smelt and Chinook salmon to be counter when determining fish populations.
Other California Water Provisions
The Bureau of Reclamation would be required to complete five feasibility studies for storage projects in California by certain timelines. An administrative Wild and Scenic River designation would be prohibited from hindering the completion of the proposed Temperance Flat storage facility. Water rights seniority would be preserved as would joint operations of the CVP and SWP.
Environmental releases on the Trinity River that deplete water resources available for agriculture, municipal and industrial use, including hydropower, would be limited. Congress would also express its disapproval and opposition to violations of private property rights by the California Water Resources Control Board and expresses the need to provide reliable water supplies to municipal, industrial, and agricultural users across the state.
Water Supply Permitting Act
The permitting process for new surface water storage (ie dams and reservoirs) would be reformed to have the Bureau of Reclamation serve as the lead agency and “one-stop shop” for all reviews, analysis, statements, permits, licenses, or other required federal approvals. Reclamation would coordinate the preparation of the unified environmental documentation that will serve as the basis for all federal decisions necessary to authorize the use of federal lands, and authorize the project development and construction of qualifying projects.
Future feasibility studies by Reclamation would be required to be completed within three years after the initiation date and have a maximum federal cost of $3 million; providing for a maximum seven-year extension of that time and cost if the Interior Secretary provides a detailed justification to the non-federal project sponsor and the Congress. The secretary would also be required to expedite the completion of any ongoing feasibility studies initiated before the date of enactment.
This bill’s full title is the Gaining Responsibility on Water (GROW) Act.