Rep. Doris Matsui Votes in Favor of Water Quality Investment Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 12, 2009

CONTACT:
Alexis Marks or Mara Lee, (202) 225-7163

Rep. Doris Matsui Votes in Favor of Water Quality Investment Act
Legislation will improve water quality and ensure safe, clean water for Sacramentans

Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) issued the following statement today in response to the U.S House of Representative's passage of the Water Quality Investment Act, which makes key investments to improve water quality, authorizes pilot projects for increasing our usable water supply, and requires immediate notification of sewer overflows:

"When it is working properly, our wastewater system is not something that we think about very often. But the minute something goes wrong, wastewater becomes an incredibly important issue.

"Over the past decade, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars through a partnership between the federal government and the City of Sacramento to upgrade the city's combined sewer system. We have renovated older pumps, built treatment plants, and increased storage. The price of clean water and healthy ecosystems is high. But the benefits they provide to our society are even greater.

"This bill authorizes $13.8 billion worth of wastewater infrastructure projects that will help keep America's streets and waterways free of sewage and sludge. It will also create quality jobs in Sacramento and throughout the country at a time when we need them the most.

"For too long, we have lived off the infrastructure built in decades past. Now it is our turn to invest in the future of our infrastructure, in the health of our communities, and in the quality of our water."

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