150 



In fact, many of the provisions in H.R. 1906 have been or 

 could be addressed administratively without the need for 

 additional legislation. For example, Section 8(j) of H.R. 1906 

 directs the Secretary of the Interior to coordinate with the 

 State of California in implementing measures to resolve problems 

 in the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary. 

 In accordance with the Bay Delta Accord signed by the Department 

 of the Interior, the State of California, the Department of 

 Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency. December 15, 

 1994, we are already working with the State of California on 

 this. The Bay/Delta Accord was supported by agricultural, urban, 

 business and environmental interests and moved the parties toward 

 resolution of issues that have been the source of conflict in 

 California for many years. H.R. 1906 would undermine the Accprd 

 and negate the progress to date. 



Here are a few of the administrative actions we have already 

 taken, making adoption of additional legislation unnecessary. 



• MEASUREMENT OF WATER USE REQUIRED. Section 5(f) 



would clarify that water meters, while not prohibited, also 

 are not required on surface water delivery systems. We have 

 already clarified this in 42 interim contracts with our 

 contractors. 



• COMPLIANCE WITH RECLAMATION REFORM ACT. Section 5 would 

 clarify that compliance with the water conservation 

 guidelines and criteria in the CVPIA also would be deemed to 

 meet the requirements in Section 210 of the Reclamation 

 Reform Act. The Bureau of Reclamation has already stated 

 this position in a letter sent to interim water contractors. 



• ACQUISITION FROM WILLING SELLERS — Section 7 stipulates 

 that funds appropriated for acquisition of water or habitat 

 shall only be used in purchases with willing sellers. All 

 the water that Reclamation has purchased under the authority 

 of the CVPIA for use at wildlife refuges, such as Sacramento 

 and Delevan, or for fishery purposes has come from willing 

 sellers exclusively. 



The Department recognizes the need to be flexible and work 

 with stakeholders to maintain the consensus we reached in 

 California last December. In addition to the administrative 

 steps we have already taken in response to concerns expressed by 

 agricultural water users, we recognize that we can do more. 



For example, the provisions in paragraph (5) on page 33 of 

 H.R. 1906 would mandate a 25 percent reduction in water 

 deliveries to refuges during a drought, rather than merely 

 authorize such a reduction, as the current law provides. The 

 Department believes administrative actions will achieve the same 

 result. For example, earlier this water year, we used an 



