Groundwater levels in many areas of the state also have declined due to increased pumping over the last three dry years. Current drought conditions in California and much of the West have fueled congressional interest in drought and its effects on water supplies, agriculture, and ecosystems. Several bills have been introduced in the 113 th Congress to address different aspects of drought in California and other regions. This report summarizes these two bills, discusses similarities and differences between the bills, and analyzes how these bills could address issues and questions associated with the drought in California. Central to addressing the drought from a federal and state perspective is the coordinated operation of the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP). They also divert water from the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers delta confluence with San Francisco Bay (Bay-Delta) and pump water south to water users in central and southern California. It passed the House on February 5, 2014. Specifically, it would amend CVPIA to broaden the purposes for which water previously dedicated to fish and wildlife can be used; add to the purposes a provision "to ensure" water dedicated to fish and wildlife purposes is replaced and provided to CVP contactors by the end of 2018 at the lowest "reasonably achievable" cost; change the definitions of fish covered by the act; broaden the purposes for which the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund (CVPRF) monies can be used; reduce revenues into the CVPRF; mandate operation of CVP and SWP according to a1994 interim agreement, the Bay-Delta Accord; and mandate development and implementation of a plan to increase CVP water yield by October 1, 2018. Bay-Delta Watershed Water Rights Preservation and Protection . 3964 and S. 2198 have few similarities in their specific approaches to addressing drought conditions in California; however, to different degrees, they both aim to provide more water for users that receive water from the CVP and SWP. The primary thematic similarity among the bills is to authorize or direct activities to increase water supplies for users, while, in some cases, decreasing or meeting the minimum water needs of the environment (e.g., fish and wildlife, and water quality). The duration of these changes varies. In some cases, they would be authorized only in times of a declared drought or decreased water supplies, and in other cases, these activities would be authorized permanently under all conditions. It is not clear for example how or when agencies would determine the effects of providing "maximum water supplies" on species viability and water quality. 3964 and S. 2198

While the two bills take significantly different approaches to increasing the reliability of water supply during dry years, some similar issue areas and provisions in the bills lend themselves to comparison. Selected Differences Between H.R. The differences hinge on the fundamental approach the bills take towards providing and allocating water supplies for users. S. 2198 generally provides authority to approve projects and actions to maximize water supplies for users within existing laws and regulations; whereas H.R. 3964 would amend existing laws that in some cases would preempt state and federal law to re-allocate water supplies and achieve its objectives. Potential Issues for Congress

Drought conditions in California and proposed state and federal solutions to address them under H.R. The objective of both bills is to increase water deliveries and reliability for users; in particular water users south of the Delta. This would set maximum restrictions on water exports from the Delta depending on the time of year and guarantee a reliable supply of water for certain stakeholders, among other things. 3964 , lower water supplies for fish and the ecosystem could have short and long term environmental consequences, although the extent of these consequences is currently unknown. What are other long-term ramifications of each bill?
California is experiencing serious water shortages due to widespread drought. Even though much of the state is served by two large water infrastructure projects that store water for future use—the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP)—both projects have had to reduce water deliveries to the farmers and communities that they serve. Many water users have received no water from the CVP and SWP this year and are supplementing surface water supplies with groundwater. Some water basins are experiencing overdraft of local aquifers (i.e., extracting of more ground water than will be replenished over time). The dry hydrological conditions, in combination with regulatory restrictions on water being pumped from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers Delta confluence with San Francisco Bay (Bay-Delta) to protect water quality and fish and wildlife, have resulted in historic water supply cutbacks for senior water rights users in some areas. The effects are widespread and are being felt by many economic sectors. The extent and severity of the drought is also taking its toll on fish and wildlife resources and has increased concern for wildfires. California also experienced severe water supply shortages during a three-year drought, which lasted from 2008 – 2010 and during a five-year drought from 1987 to 1992.
Several bills have been introduced in the 113th Congress to address California water supply and drought in particular. This report discusses the similarities and differences between two bills that have been passed by their respective chambers: H.R. 3964, which passed the House on February 5, 2014; and S. 2198, which passed the Senate on May 22, 2014.
H.R. 3964 and S. 2198 have few similarities in their specific approaches to addressing drought conditions in California; however, to different degrees, they both aim to provide more water for users that receive water from the CVP and SWP. The primary thematic similarity shared between the bills is to authorize or direct activities that would attempt to increase water supplies for users while, in some cases, decreasing or meeting the minimum water needs of the environment (e.g., fish and wildlife, and water quality). The duration of the authorization for these activities varies under each bill. In some cases, activities aimed to increase water supplies are authorized in times of a declared drought or decreased water supplies, and in other cases, these activities are authorized permanently without conditions.
The differences between the bills hinge on the approach the bills take towards allocating water supplies for users. S. 2198 would authorize the approval of projects and actions to maximize water supplies for users within existing laws and regulations; whereas H.R. 3964 would amend laws, and in some cases, pre-empt state and federal law to re-allocate water supplies and achieve its objectives.
A short-term issue for Congress is how to address the drought, and in particular, demands for more water from the CVP and SWP without jeopardizing the continued existence of several fish species, degrading water quality, or overriding state water rights allocations. A long-term issue for Congress is how to improve the supply and reliability of federal water deliveries and stabilize, and potentially restore, the aquatic ecosystems upon which water and power users and diverse economies depend upon. Efforts to address the long-term water and environmental needs of the state have been focused, in part, on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). However, the BDCP is controversial and if approved is expected to take years, if not decades, to implement. In the meantime, questions continue to be raised about annual Bay-Delta pumping levels and their adequacy in providing water supply to state and federal contractors and their effects on fish and wildlife, particularly on threatened and endangered species.