Doug LaMalfa on the Orland Project Water Management Act (HR4970)

The Orland Project Water Management Act

• 💧 The Orland Project Water Management Act aims to address water transfer limitations in Glenn County, Northern California.
• 🔑 Current federal law, specifically the 1991 Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act, restricts water transfers from the Orland Project to the Central Valley Project (CVP) only during a declared drought.

Issues with Current Water Transfer Laws

• ⚠️ In most years, the Orland Project has excess water that could be beneficially used but cannot be transferred due to the drought declaration requirement.
• 🌊 When water cannot be transferred, the East Park and Stony Gorge reservoirs fill up, necessitating flood releases to prevent overtopping.
• 🗑️ These flood releases result in the loss of usable water, making it unavailable for other needs.

Proposed Solution and Benefits

• 💡 LaMalfa's bill seeks to amend federal law to allow water transfers from the Orland Project to the CVP at any time, upon request from the Orland Project Water Users Association.
• ✅ This change would ensure that the needs of the Orland district are met first, and any excess water can be transferred for beneficial use, such as meeting needs in other towns, supporting farmers, or recharging groundwater aquafers.
• 📉 It aims to prevent water from being wasted during high rain years when flood space must be maintained in reservoirs.

Support for the Bill

• 🗣️ The hearing includes testimony from Bill W Vanderwal of the Taklusa County Authority, supporting the bill.
• 🤝 Greg Chris, General Manager of the Orland Unit Water Use Association, also supports the bill and has submitted prepared testimony for the record.