H.R. 2813 — Introduced in House

I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2813 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 24, 2013 Mr. Cotton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend the Water Supply Act of 1958 to establish a mechanism to permit State and local interests to release to the United States future water storage rights associated with Corps of Engineers reservoir projects. 1. Future water supply Section 301 of the Water Supply Act of 1958 (43 U.S.C. 390b) is amended— (1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following: (c) Release of future water storage (1) Establishment of 10-year plans for the utilization of future storage (A) In general Beginning 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection and not later than January 1, 2016, an interested State or local interest may submit to the Secretary a plan for the utilization of future use water storage under this Act. (B) Contents A plan submitted under subparagraph (A) shall include— (i) a 10-year timetable for conversion of future use storage to present use; and (ii) a schedule of actions that the State or local interest agrees to carry out over a 10-year period, in cooperation with the Corps of Engineers, to seek new and alternative users of future water storage that is contracted to the State or local interest on the date of enactment of this subsection. (2) Release of future water storage For Corps of Engineers projects, for the period beginning on January 1, 2026, and ending on December 31, 2028, a State or local interest that the Secretary determines has carried out the obligations of the State or local interest under an applicable plan described in paragraph (1) may notify the Secretary of the Army that the State or local interest seeks to release to the United States any right of the State or local interest to future water storage under this Act that— (A) was allocated for future use water supply prior to November 17, 1986; and (B) as of December 31, 2025, has not been allocated or used. (3) Administration On receipt of a notification under paragraph (2) by the Secretary of the Army— (A) the request of the applicable State or local interest to release future water storage rights shall be considered to be approved; and (B) the applicable State or local interest shall not be responsible for the cost of any water storage rights released under this subsection. .