Congresswoman McCollum's Remarks at the National Ground Water Association Conference

Good morning to everyone, and welcome to Washington.

Thank you to the National Ground Water Association for this great award. Thank you Danny for coming from Minnesota.

I am lucky to hail from the Land of not only 10,000 Lakes, but also multiple levels of excellent aquifers!

We Minnesotans take our water very seriously and are proud to be leaders in showing other states how we care for our most precious natural resource.

In fact, we take our water so seriously Minnesotans voted to tax ourselves. Yes you heard that right, tax ourselves, in 2008 under the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to make sure that we're doing the right thing when it comes to protecting our water.

Thanks to our unique Legacy Amendment, we have spent $179 million on Clean Water Funds to conduct everything from water monitoring and assessment to restoration and protection activities.

One of the most important things the Legacy Amendment has funded is a landmark Minnesota Water Sustainability Framework report that is the first of its kind in the entire country.

I proudly gave a copy of this report to USGS Director Marcia McNutt last year during a hearing.

The report has generated significant media coverage and attention locally and was a heroic effort led by Professor Deb Swackhamer, who heads our Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota.

She has been a close friend and mentor to my office and myself when it comes to all things water. We are very fortunate to have her tremendous leadership.

The Water Sustainability Framework helps us with a 25 year roadmap to secure an adequate and safe water supply for future generations. No other state has tried to answer this question as thoroughly as Minnesota.

As most of you in this room are aware, we are shockingly unprepared as a nation on the question of sustaining our water resources.

Climate change, population increases, and land use changes are all severely impacting water quality and availability.

At both the local and federal level, there is little to no coordination on how drinking water, lake and river water, water used for industrial and agricultural purposes, are monitored and managed by independent agencies.

We can't answer the basic question of "How much water are we using and how much are we replenishing to make sure we have enough for the future?"

The Minnesota Water Sustainability Framework, in its first recommendation, says we need basic data to determine our state's water balance.

And that means both geologic mapping and monitoring so we know what water supplies are available and how to allocate them sustainably.

In the Twin Cities, across Minnesota, and across the nation, most of our drinking water comes from groundwater aquifers. Our farmers depend on groundwater for irrigation.

I thank the National Ground Water Association for helping policymakers and the public understand why we need a comprehensive monitoring system for groundwater.

Last April, I was pleased to host a roundtable on the importance of protecting our groundwater resources at Johnson Screens, which is a leading manufacturer of stainless steel water well screens located in my district.

In addition to the National and Minnesota Ground Water Association, we had our state natural resources agency, local officials, and scientists in attendance.

Minnesota is one of six states to have conducted a pilot project to begin implementation of the National Groundwater Monitoring Network.

We know this effort is critical to our economy and maintaining our quality of life.

For example, White Bear Lake in my district has been experiencing record-low levels of water. This is driving home values down, leading to decreased city tax revenue.

The community could not figure out why the water levels were so low.

Thanks to USGS conducting a groundwater/surface study, we found that too much water was being drawn from a local aquifer, which combined with declining precipitation, were the main factors behind the water levels dropping so low.

I know just how valuable a groundwater monitoring network will be to communities all across the country.

In 2009, I was given the privilege of giving a speech to the Water Resources Center Annual Conference at the University of Minnesota on sustaining clean water as a public trust.

It is all our responsibility to make sure that for the next generation, when a mom or dad takes their child to a drinking fountain, they don't need to be worry about the safety and availability of that water.

You all have played a central role both in Minnesota and nationwide in helping us ensure that trust for the American people.

I appreciate all the businesses, nonprofits, scientists and engineers today who are working hard to make sure our vital groundwater resources are protected and available to all of us who take it for granted that there will always be safe and clean water coming out of the tap.

In Congress, as a member of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, my priority is to protect our natural resources for not just Minnesota but the entire country.

I look forward to working again this year with my Republican colleagues, including Chairman Mike Simpson, to advocate for the establishment of the National Groundwater Monitoring Network.

I am pleased that the President for the first time this year included a funding request for the Network in his budget. That is thanks to all the hard work of you all in this room.

When I see USGS Director Marcia McNutt later today, I will express my thanks to her personally.

Thank you again for this award.