Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, first, I want to thank the chairman and the committee for their hard work putting this bill together. I know it has taken a lot of time and effort to get here, and I appreciate that.

My amendment addresses a very real threat to the lives and livelihoods of Arkansans and Americans across the country and the citizens and businesses in areas of the depletion of aquifers and lack of water for agriculture during times of drought.

The Bayou Meto and Grand Prairie projects in my district, which are well on the way to completion, will provide an economical and environmentally sensible alternative for protecting aquifers from catastrophic depletion and provide both a renewable agriculture water supply, as well as a valuable role in water quality and quantity control efforts for one of our Nation's most critical waterways, the Mississippi River.

In most of the Mississippi Delta, aquifers provide significant portions of water used for ag irrigation. With the increasing water demands of agriculture, businesses, and municipalities, aquifers across the country, especially the alluvial and Sparta-Memphis aquifers which supply much of the Mississippi Delta, face the increasing threat of depletion.

This takes the immediate form of drastically lowering well yields and the requirement to drill more often and deeper to access sufficient quantities of water.

Bayou Meto and Grand Prairie were designed to address the threat of aquifer depletion, both to ease demands on aquifers and to ensure a steady and renewable water supply for agriculture in Arkansas' Mississippi Delta region.

First authorized in 1996, these projects are a framework of canals, pumps, and pipes that pull excess water from the delta's rivers in times of abundance and store it for future use.

During periods of drought, farmers are able to take from those canals and reservoirs, instead of further depleting the aquifers or taking from the rivers and streams that feed the Mississippi, helping ensure a continued and reliable water supply, both for agriculture and municipalities.

In addition to the ag benefits, Bayou Meto and Grand Prairie will work to ease demands on the water table, help mitigate the flood damage done to homes and businesses, ensure a safe and steady food and water supply for American citizens, and provide a habitat for various amphibians and waterfowl across the South.

Most importantly, Bayou Meto and Grand Prairie will support jobs for a region of our country persistently above the national unemployment rate.

Without these two important projects, Mississippi Delta farmers will be forced to continue depleting aquifers, the same aquifers municipalities and businesses depend on, risking losing their livelihood.

Mr. Chairman, with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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