On Tuesday a House of Representatives committee in Washington, D.C. will host a legislative hearing on a proposed settlement between the U.S. and Westlands Water District.

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The settlement stems from a decades-old lawsuit over the cleanup of water tainted by salt that has accumulated in the soil in the western Central Valley.

The hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Eastern time in front of the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. Two bills to affirm the agreement — one from Rep. David Valado (R-Hanford) and another from Jim Costa (D-Fresno) — will be considered.

Under the settlement, Westlands will take care of the environmental cleanup — with an estimated cost from the Department of the Interior of $3.5 billion, though Westlands officials believe they can do the job for less.

As part of the settlement, the feds will relieve Westlands of $350 million in debt from construction of the Central Valley Project. The settlement also grants Westlands an indefinite water contract as well as lifts the 960-acre limit for farms in the district.

The settlement must be approved by Congress before taking effect.

For more information, visit http://naturalresources.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=400473

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.