Water Supply Challenges in the San Joaquin Valley

Floor Speech

Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, as we return to our districts with the August recess, I want to call attention to the ongoing water supply challenges facing the San Joaquin Valley that I represent.

This year, we pushed the administration to use all the flexibility and power within the law to increase pumping to move water to our valley. We pushed to find additional water supplies that were not previously available at contract rates, and we were able to increase the water allocation for farmers in our valley significantly. We also pushed to bring critical water infrastructure projects, like the Intertie that we will have groundbreaking next month.

Our efforts have produced more than four times the amount of water we received last year, but our fight for water, for valley jobs, and for our economy is far from over. Unemployment is still unacceptable. This administration and Congress must continue to step up its support for the San Joaquin Valley, as farmers and farm communities need a sustainable water supply to grow the country's fresh fruits and vegetables, our Nation's food supply.

That is why it is more important than ever in the next water year for Federal and State agency leaders to use every tool in their water toolbox to ensure that water flows. That means we must work together with our local water agencies.

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