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Federal Document Clearing House
Congressional Testimony
February 28, 2002 Thursday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 421 words
COMMITTEE:
SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
HEADLINE: WATER INFRASTRUCTURE &
CLEAN WATER PROGRAMS
TESTIMONY-BY: RODGER D. SIEMS,
PRESIDENT, BOARD OF DIRECTORS,
AFFILIATION: EASTERN
MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT (EMWD)
BODY: Eastern
Municipal Water District
Testimony of
Rodger D. Siems President,
Board of Directors, Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD)
February 28,
2002
Good morning Chairman Jefford, Senator Smith, Senator Graham,
Senator Crapo, and members of the Committee, my name is Rodger Siems. I am the
President of the Board of Directors for Eastern Municipal Water District in
Perris, California.
Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) supports the
purposes of S. 1961, the Water Investment Act of 2002. We believe S. 1961 takes
a meaningful first step toward addressing the infrastructure funding gap through
the authorization of increased funding for
state revolving
funds (SRFs). EMWD provides water and wastewater service to a
population of 480,000 in the arid west region of the nation where native water
resources are scarce. Due to the lack of plentiful indigenous water sources,
EMWD is committed to water conservation and recycled water programs and
sustainability of our groundwater resources. EMWD is therefore very pleased that
S. 1961 provides funds for water conservation, reuse, reclamation, and/or
recycling projects. EMWD is particularly supportive of the requirement in S.
1961 that loan recipients adopt, in both policy and practice, basic elements of
asset management. Water and wastewater infrastructure systems provide services
essential to public health. EMWD believes that proficient asset management is
core to managing utility operations. Water and wastewater managers must ensure
adequate operation of their facilities by using all the tools available to them
and asset management is the most effective tool for managing present and future
infrastructure. Requiring good asset management as a loan condition helps ensure
wise and effective spending.
EMWD also supports the concept of requiring
loan recipients to achieve a rate structure that reflects the true cost of
service and addresses capital replacement funds. EMWD is concerned that agencies
that have not adopted a rate structure that pays for the true cost of their
operations are undercharging for their services and are placing a tremendous
burden on future ratepayers.
EMWD believes these loan recipient
requirements, asset management and rate restructuring, will promote
self-sustaining water and wastewater operations and help limit future requests
for federal funding.
Thank you for introducing S. 1961. It is a crucial
first step to ensure the needs of America's water and wastewater infrastructure
are met.
LOAD-DATE: March 29, 2002