Sens. Allard and Salazar Seek Senate Markup of Ark Valley Conduit

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Communities, farmers and ranchers in the Lower Arkansas Valley have to rely on the compromised Arkansas River to deliver the water that is their life-blood. The Arkansas River in the Lower Arkansas Valley is laden with natural contaminants like selenium and effluent from upstream communities and users.

To ensure clean and safe drinking water for the Lower Arkansas Valley, local communities and stakeholders came together to create a proposal for the Arkansas Valley Conduit. Today, U.S. Sens. Wayne Allard and Ken Salazar wrote to Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Ranking Member Pete Domenici (R-NM) to request a markup of S. 134, the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act of 2007.

“This is the 5th year in a row that I have sponsored this legislation. The people of southeastern Colorado have waited long enough, the time to act is now,” said Senator Allard. “The passage of this legislation will allow the delivery of clean, safe water to financially strapped communities in the Lower Arkansas Valley.”

“Water is lifeblood in Colorado, and the people of Pueblo and the Arkansas Valley have waited more than four decades for a solution on this issue,” said Senator Salazar. “Any solution must protect the water interests of these people and provide them the safest and cleanest water possible - the Arkansas Valley Conduit does just that.”

The Allard-Salazar bill would allow the Bureau of Reclamation to move forward with the construction of the Conduit, first authorized 45 years ago as the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. This original “Fry-Ark” legislation authorized construction of a conduit, but the depressed economic status of southeastern Colorado made it a difficult financial undertaking for the region, a challenge that continues today. As a solution, S. 134 creates an 80/20 cost sharing agreement between the Bureau and other local Arkansas Valley entities, who have obtained assurances they can secure their share of the funding.

Allard and Salazar were able to secure a hearing late in September 2006, during the 109th Congress regarding an identical bill, S.1106. However, no further action was taken. This year, Senators Allard and Salazar reintroduced the bill on the first day of session of the 110th Congress, January 4, 2007.

A copy of the letters Senators Allard and Salazar sent to Chairman Bingaman and Ranking Member Domenici can be viewed by clicking here.