Bay Area lawmakers push water recycling bill
Josh Richman
Oakland Tribune
05/15/2009
Nine Bay Area House members united Thursday to introduce a bill that would boost the region's water-recycling efforts, which they say would stimulate the economy while reducing demand for limited fresh water supplies.
Water recycling is already underway throughout the Bay Area, but the new bill would make six more projects eligible for federal funding, saving an estimated 2.6 billion gallons per year for the region's water supply — roughly enough water to meet the needs of 24,225 households, which the lawmakers say would be equivalent to serving every household in Pittsburg and most in Bay Point. And that, they say, is an important step toward fixing the area's dependence on water from the beleaguered Bay-Delta watershed.
The six projects advanced by the bill — new piping, storage tanks, and pump stations for Concord, Dublin, Petaluma, Redwood City, Antioch and throughout the Palo Alto area, including Stanford University — are projected to cost a total of $403 million, of which $73 million would be paid by the federal government if this bill becomes law. Lawmakers say 3,581 jobs would be supported by the new work.
The Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Expansion Act of 2009 was introduced by representatives George Miller, D-Martinez; Pete Stark, D-Fremont; Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo; Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto; Mike Honda, D-San Jose; Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma; Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton; Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo; and Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose.
"As people all over the country are impacted by declining water supplies, there is no better time to invest in new water technologies like water recycling. Recycling our wastewater is a smart and efficient way to conserve water supplies, lessen our impact on our natural resources, and create jobs and support local businesses," the lawmakers said in a joint statement. "With this bill, we'll allow cities across the Bay Area to join in a strong federal-local partnership that is providing our region a sustainable and reliable clean water supply."
