Bill > HR4970

This bill amends the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to provide more flexibility in water transfers between the Orland Project and the Central Valley Project (CVP). Specifically, the bill allows the Secretary of the Interior to make water from the Orland Project available to the Sacramento Canal Unit of the CVP at any time, regardless of water year type, if the Secretary determines such a transfer is consistent with the CVP's purposes. The bill includes important safeguards, such as explicitly stating that this amendment does not create new benefits under the Reclamation Reform Act, does not affect existing water rights or pending water rights applications, and ensures that the water transfer will not result in redirected impacts to the Orland Project. The legislation appears designed to provide additional water management options during drought conditions, giving federal water managers more discretion in allocating water resources between these two irrigation projects in California.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4970/all-info