House Approves Bilbray’s Bill to Tap Lake Hodges

(Washington D.C.)- It’s no secret that the San Diego region is a desert. With a scarce supply of local water, San Diego County must import 90 percent of its water from Northern California and the Colorado River in order to meet the needs of more than three million residents.

To expand the region’s water supply, the House of Representatives today passed legislation by Congressman Brian Bilbray that will enable a portion of the water at Lake Hodges to be used for public drinking water. The House approved H.R. 2649, which will provide up to $20 million in funding for the construction of a new water reclamation facility. To be owned and operated by the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, the Lake Hodges Water Reclamation Project will be built at the District’s existing David C. McCollom Water Treatment Plant in Escondido.  It will treat 13,000 acre feet of water (4.2 billion gallons) each year, enough to serve the needs of more than 13,000 households.

“Given San Diego County’s ongoing water shortage and dependence on imported water, it’s imperative that we tap every possible source,” said Bilbray.  “Water is liquid gold in our county, and we must identify local supplies to help meet our current and future needs, while also encouraging the people of our region to conserve.”

Due to court decisions protecting endangered species in the Sacramento-San Juan River delta, water supplies from Northern California have been reduced.  Likewise, a federal court ruling curbing water deliveries to Northern California coupled with drought in the Colorado River Basin have made it increasingly difficult for Southern California to gain access to water. 

The development of the Lake Hodges Water Reclamation Project will benefit not only the constituents of Bilbray’s Congressional district, but also all of San Diego County as it will reduce treated water demand for the entire county. 

In addition to the benefits to the San Diego County region, numerous federal objectives are advanced through the ultimate development of the Lake Hodges Water Reclamation Project. The project will directly reduce the surrounding region’s demand for imported water from the environmentally sensitive California Bay/Delta and will help California live within its 4.4 million acre-feet allocation of water from the Colorado River. 

The federal government will fund up to one-quarter of the project’s cost, not to exceed $20 million. The balance will be born by the Olivenhain Municipal Water District and other local agencies.

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