Volume 144, No. 82 covering the 2nd Session of the 105th Congress (1997 - 1998) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S6828-S6829 on June 22, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
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NOMINATION OF LOUIS CALDERA TO BE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, in considering the nomination of Louis Caldera before the Senate Armed Services Committee to be the Secretary of the Army, I raised the issue of the Washington Aqueduct--
the public water system for the Metropolitan Washington area that is owned by the Federal government and administered by the Corps of Engineers.
As my colleagues may recall, the conditions at the Washington Aqueduct gained national attention when the Environmental Protection Agency issued a ``boil-water'' order in December, 1993 for the metropolitan Washington region. There was significant concern that the water supply for the nation's capital was contaminated. This incident brought to light the significant capital improvements that are needed at the facility to meet current federal drinking water standards.
In order to address the tremendous water quality issues that are facing the District, Arlington County, and the city of Falls Church, I included in the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996, Section 306 entitled the Washington Aqueduct. I wrote this section so that the customers of the Washington Aqueduct would have a reliable and safe source of drinkable water. The Aqueduct is in need of many capital improvements to insure that the water remains safe and drinkable. Improvements to the Aqueduct are self-financed by the users. It is estimated that significant costs remain, between $250 and $400 million.
To allow for these crucial improvements, Section 306 directs the Army Corps of Engineers to transfer the Washington Aqueduct, with the consent of a majority of the three customers, to a non-federal, public or private entity. Since this effort would be a significant undertaking, the Safe Drinking Water Act gave the customers and the Corps three years, until August 6, 1999, to gain consensus. Congress authorized the Corps to borrow funds from the Treasury during an interim three year period to begin the necessary infrastructure improvements. This borrowing authority totaled $75 million and would be repaid by the ratepayers.
Recently, I learned that the Corps has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the three customers for the Corps to retain ownership of the Aqueduct.
There are problems with the Corps remaining the owner of the Washington Aqueduct, besides that this seems inconsistent with existing law. First and foremost, the Corps does not have the means to finance the capital improvements that are needed. Once the three year borrowing expires, the Corps only has means to finance daily operations at the Corps. Given the current condition at the Aqueduct, this is hardly the way to insure that the ratepayers have drinkable water. In addition, in the event of another boil water scare, the Corps would have no means to address the immediate problem. If the Corps does not have funding to perform needed upgrades to the Aqueduct nor have the financing to address an emergency situation, it seems to me that, consistent with current law, they should not retain ownership of the Corps.
In questioning Mr. Caldera about this situation, I have received assurances that the Army will fully implement the provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act. This Wednesday a meeting will be held with all the relevant parties to develop a course of action on this matter. I am encouraged by Mr. Caldera's attention to this important regional issue. He has pledged to work with me to resolve this impasse so that the region can afford to proceed with the necessary modernization plan for the Aqueduct. Without proceeding with privatization or the development of a new regional entity, I remain concerned that the schedule for improvements will be delayed or that the citizens of this region will experience severe water rate hikes.
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