One of Tim Walz's earmarks caught our eye: the request to fund the Lewis & Clark Water System. This project may mean nothing to many Minnesotans, since many of us live in area blessed with beautiful lakes and rivers.
But some of Southwest Minnesota doesn't share this bounty, and towns like Adrian can't grow unless sources of safe water are secured. That's where the Lewis & Clark Rural Water System comes in; it's not pork, but a lifeline to a corner of the state. See the project's Spring 2007 newsletter for additional details.
Here's Walz's statement:
Mr. Speaker, as we debate the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, I want to talk about an issue that is vitally important to hundreds of thousands of people in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa.
The Lewis and Clark Rural Water System is a unique water project that I am hopeful will receive appropriate funding as the Energy and Water Appropriations bill moves forward.
When this project is completed, it will provide safe, reliable drinking water to over 300,000 people in a roughly 5,000 square mile area in South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota.
In Minnesota's "Land of 10,000 Lakes", there is one area that the glaciers missed - Southwest Minnesota. For example, Rock County does not have one natural lake. As you can imagine, the southwest corner of my state has a critical need for additional water, especially because that area is so heavily dependent on agriculture.The lack of water availability has a profound impact on economic development in rural Minnesota. Businesses are reluctant to locate or expand their operations in an area without reliable water supplies. There are communities in southern Minnesota that literally cannot permit a single new home to be built in town unless some other family moves out of town, in order to keep their water usage at the same level.
Seventeen of the 20 local municipalities that are participating in this project have prepaid $87 million dollars of their local share of the expenses, in order to help keep inflationary costs at a minimum.Additionally, the three states involved—Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa—have committed to prepay their share of the project as well. Unfortunately, the federal government is the partner that is lacking.
If the Lewis and Clark Rural Water Systems receives its full $35 million request this year and subsequent years, the project could be completed by 2018. However, if we only fund this project at the levels recommended in the President’s 2008 Budget, it will not be completed until 2051.
Mr. Speaker, the 300,000 people in Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa cannot wait that long. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and I will continue to work for full funding for this important project.
The federal government can't be penny wise and pound foolish. The longer we take to provide appropriate federal funds, the more it is going to cost.
I look forward to working with the Chairman as this bill moves forward on ensuring this important project is appropriately funded.
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