News & Columns > Michael P. Neufeld > Water System Improvement Bill in Congressional Pipeline

Water System Improvement Bill in Congressional Pipeline

Introduced By Congressman Jerry Lewis

By Michael P. Neufeld
Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Washington, D.C. – A bill is now in the Congressional pipeline in Washington, D.C. that would improve the water flow in the event of a fire in the boundaries of the Big Bear Municipal Water District.

The City of Big Bear Lake would receive $500,000 in federal water quality improvement funds under a bill approved by the House of Representatives and is awaiting approval of the U.S. Senate.

Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) (Photo by Congressman Jerry Lewis Staff.)

Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) requested the funding to ensure that the mountain water system has adequate pressure to meet the danger of fires in the surrounding National Forest lands.

"With thousands of homes in and around the San Bernardino National Forest, it is absolutely essential that our mountain communities have the ability to fight forest fires and protect the lives of our residents," Lewis stated in a news release. "This funding will improve the quality of water in Big Bear Lake, and most importantly ensure we can fight a fire when one strikes."

In March, Board President Todd Murphy, Director Skip Suhay and General Manager Scott Heule went to Washington to meet with Lewis, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) to discuss additional federal funding.

More than 181,000 feet of pipeline must be replaced to meet state water quality and fire flow standards, a project that qualifies for federal State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, Lewis' media advisory stated. The STAG program is designed to ensure that state and local governments can meet national standards of water quality and supply.

The district currently serves 15,000 full-time customers and hundreds of thousands of tourists and seasonal residents visiting each year. The total cost of the project is $12 million, and Congress has provided nearly $1.5 million in the past at Lewis' request.

Lewis' bill is included in the Fiscal Year 2010 appropriations bill funding the Interior Department and the EPA.

This article was first published on Saturday, June 27, 2009 at 10:05 am. This article has been viewed 386 times.

Michael P. Neufeld, Senior News Editor, is a graduate of the Dwight Bentel School of Journalism at San Jose State University. His first job out of San Jose State was with the Associated Press in Los Angeles as overnight Radio Editor. Prior to joining RIMOFTHEWORLD.net, Neufeld was editor of two weekly newspapers—THE MOUNTAIN NEWS and CRESTLINE COURIER-NEWS. He also has experience as editor of an employee newspaper for a major utility company and during his tenure as executive director of the San Jose State University Alumni Association served as faculty advisor to the association's monthly newsletter. He also spent eight years in commercial radio doing everything from news to advertising sales and writing commercials to being an announcer and on-air personality. Neufeld is actively involved the mountain communities including serving as master of ceremonies for the Arrowhead Arts Music Festival held each summer.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RIMOFTHEWORLD.net. This column is copyrighted by Michael P. Neufeld.