World Water Day, marked every March, was established by the United
Nations to focus attention on the importance of fresh water around the
globe. On Wednesday, March 15 at 9:00 a.m. ET, Sen. John Hickenlooper
(D-Colo.), Melissa Ho, World Wildlife Fund senior vice president for
freshwater and food, Alexia Leclercq, Start:Empowerment co-founder, and
Julie Waechter, DigDeep co-CEO, join Washington Post
Live to discuss possible
solutions that address global water inequities and the role of water in
sustainable development.
Speakers:
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.)
Melissa Ho, Senior Vice President, Freshwater & Food, World Wildlife
Fund
Alexia Leclercq, Co-Founder, Start:Empowerment
Julie Waechter, Co-CEO, DigDeep
In a segment presented by Ecolab, Calvin Emanuel, vice president and
general manager of Sustainable Growth Solutions at Ecolab, and Glenn
Prickett, president and CEO at World
Environment Center, will discuss how industry can be a positive force in
supporting a water-secure future while driving business outcomes. The
conversation will cover the central tenets of corporate sustainability
programs that conserve water, foster business resilience, and create
positive impacts in support of communities around the world.
Speakers:
Calvin Emmanuel, Vice President & General Manager, Sustainable Growth
Solutions, Ecolab
Glenn Prickett, President & CEO, World
Environment Center
The Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change of the Committee on
Energy and Commerce will hold a hybrid
hearing
that includes both in-person and remote attendance on Tuesday, March 29,
2022, at 10:30 a.m. This hearing will take place in the John D. Dingell
Room, 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building, as well as remotely
using Cisco Webex online video conferencing. The hearing is entitled,
“Trusting the Tap: Upgrading America’s Drinking Water Infrastructure.”
Erik D.
Olson,
Senior Strategic Director for Health & Food, Natural Resources Defense
Council
Lori J.
Mathieu,
Public Health Branch Chief, Environmental Health & Drinking Water
Branch, Connecticut Department of Public Health, President,
Association of Drinking Water Administrators
Kareem
Adeem,
Director of Water and Sewer Utilities, The City of Newark, NJ
Richard
Diaz,
Midwest Regional Field Organizer, BlueGreen Alliance
Jim McGoff, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Environmental
Programs, Indiana Finance Authority, On behalf of Council of
Infrastructure Financing Authorities
H. Rept.
117-70—Report
from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to accompany
H.R. 3684
Rules Committee Print
117-8—Showing
the text of H.R. 3684, as ordered reported by the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, with modifications.
Rules Committee Print
117-9
(Drinking Water/Clean Water Provisions)-Showing the text of H.R. 1915,
as reported by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and
H.R. 3291 and H.R. 3293, as ordered reported by the Committee on
Energy and Commerce, each with modifications.
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold a
markup
to consider H.R. 1915, the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act
of 2021, and H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America
Act.
“Giving the Department of Transportation a bunch of money for new
highways is the climate equivalent of giving energy companies money to
build new coal plants,” GarcÃa
tweeted.
**Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (ANS) to H.R. 1915, the Water
Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021**
Title: An update on the vulnerability of U.S. water resources to climate
change: From the Mississippi River floods to growing shortages in the
West
The scientific evidence supporting growing impacts of human-induced
climate change on U.S. water resources continues to strengthen. Dr.
Peter Gleick, one of the nation’s leading experts on climate and water,
will discuss recent reports on increased precipitation intensity in
North America, the Mississippi River flood events, the new Department of
Interior assessment of climate and western river basins, and efforts to
prepare for climate and water risks facing cities, farmers, and natural
systems. He will also explore some of the adverse implications of recent
budget decisions for emergency preparedness and warning systems, weather
forecasting, military preparedness, and national response to extreme
events.
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following
bills: S.2259/H.R. 813, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to participate in the Prado Basin Natural Treatment System
Project, to authorize the Secretary to participate in the Lower Chino
Dairy Area desalination demonstration and reclamation project, and for
other purposes; H.R. 31, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to participate in the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District
Wildomar Service Area Recycled Water Distribution Facilities and
Alberhill Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Facility Projects; H.R.
716, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and
Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate
in the Santa Rosa Urban Water Reuse Plan; H.R. 786, to amend the
Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Los
Angeles County Water Supply Augmentation Demonstration Project, and for
other purposes; H.R. 1140, to authorize the Secretary, in cooperation
with the City of San Juan Capistrano, California, to participate in the
design, planning, and construction of an advanced water treatment plant
facility and recycled water system, and for other purposes; H.R. 1503,
to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities
Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the
Avra/Black Wash Reclamation and Riparian Restoration Project; H.R. 1725,
to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities
Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the
Rancho California Water District Southern Riverside County
Recycled/Non-Potable Distribution Facilities and
Demineralization/Desalination Recycled Water Treatment and Reclamation
Facility Project; H.R. 1737, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of
permanent facilities for the GREAT project to
reclaim, reuse, and treat impaired waters in the area of Oxnard,
California; and H.R. 2614, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to participate in certain water projects in California.
Witness
Mr. Kris Polly , Deputy Commissioner for External & Intergovernmental
Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation, DOI
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the House Natural
Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power, the Environmental and Energy
Study Institute (EESI), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF)
invite you to a briefing to examine the factors that limit the water
available for critical uses throughout the country. The briefing is held
in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality
Assessment (NAWQA) Program.
Competition for water is becoming more intense across the United States.
Population growth competes in many areas with demands for water for
irrigation and power production. Aquatic ecosystems compete for water
used by cities, farms, and power plants to support their minimum flow
requirements. In addition, the depletion of water in many aquifers
decreases the supply of good quality surface water, and climate change
is likely to exacerbate the availability of water as well.
Water quality impaired by human activities constrains water use. Perhaps
less understood is that water use can degrade water quality by releasing
naturally occurring contaminants, like salts, uranium and radium, into
streams and aquifers, thereby constraining water availability.
This briefing will explain and provide examples of the connections
between water use and water quality and how they can ultimately affect
water availability for critical uses. It will begin by highlighting
salinity in the Southwest, where a new USGS
study has found reduced concentrations of salts in streams resulting
from control activities in irrigated agricultural areas. It also will
provide brief examples of how agricultural practices have affected
naturally occurring radium in New Jersey, pumping has affected naturally
occurring uranium in San Joaquin public-supply wells, and water re-use
has introduced man-made organic compounds in coastal aquifers in
southern California.
To conclude, the briefing also will connect the science to national
policies relating to issues of water availability.
Speakers include:
David Anning, NAWQA scientist, Albuquerque,
New Mexico, U.S. Geological Survey
David Kanzer, Senior Water Resource Engineer,Colorado River Water
Conservation District
Robert Hirsch, Associate Director for Water, U.S. Geological Survey
Claudia Copeland, Specialist in Resource and Environmental Policy,
Congressional Research Service
This briefing is free and open to the public. No
RSVP is required. Please forward this notice
to others who may be interested. For more information, contact Leanne
Lamusga, [email protected], 202-662-1884.
