National Water Resources, Flood Protection & Conservation Bill Authorizes $4 Million for Key Bay Area Regional Desalination Project for Drought, Emergency

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) today praised the members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate for voting overwhelmingly to override President Bush’s veto last week of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA). The national water resources, flood protection and water conservation bill authorizes $4 million to continue work on a new regional desalination project jointly supported by the SFPUC, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), the Contra Costa Water District and the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

"With our water supplies at risk and our levees vulnerable to collapse, Congress has done the right thing for California and the nation by overriding the President’s veto," said SFPUC General Manager Susan Leal. "The federal support for regional desalination that this legislation brings will help ensure reliable water for the Bay Area during the next drought or emergency."

The joint Bay Area Regional Desalination Project is currently beginning a pilot study in eastern Contra Costa County, testing pre-treatment options, membrane performance and brine disposal approaches. The location is one of three sites under consideration for the development of a larger regional facility capable of producing up to 71 million gallons a day of desalinated water. The regional desalination project has already won a $1 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources to begin the pilot program. The $4 million authorized by enactment of WRDA will allow the regional water agency partners to conduct technical and institutional analyses for the selection of a full-scale project site and support the environmental review and permitting for the pilot study.

President Bush vetoed WRDA last Friday following House and Senate passage of the bill earlier this summer. Following the House’s overwhelming 361 - 54 vote Tuesday to override the President’s veto, the members of the U.S. Senate today voted 79 - 14 to override the President’s veto.

"We in San Francisco are especially grateful to our own elected leaders - especially Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Tom Lantos, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer - for their commitment to winning passage of WRDA over the President’s veto," said Leal.