WASHINGTON After years of disappointment, Ventura County officials believe they may be close to reaching a milestone in their efforts to tear down Matilija Dam near Ojai.

The House voted Thursday to authorize spending $144.5 million for the dam removal and restoration of the Ventura River.

Over in the Senate, another bill that would authorize the project already has cleared the Environment and Public Works Committee. The full Senate is expected to approve the legislation by the end of May.

Similar legislation cleared both chambers last year but died before a conference committee could resolve differences in the two versions.

This year's bills also will have to go before a conference committee. But with the new Congress just a little more than three months old, Ventura County officials believe there will be plenty of time for lawmakers to come up with a compromise acceptable to the House and the Senate.

"I think we're much more likely to get it (the bill) through this year," said Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett.

The Matilija Dam project is in two broader pieces of legislation known as the Water Resources Development Act, which deals with waterways and lakes across the country.

The water projects bills do not actually provide money for the dam removal; they merely authorize Congress to spend federal money on the project. The actual funding would be subject to an annual appropriation by Congress.

Still, getting congressional authorization for the project would be a significant milestone that must be passed before the removal and restoration work can begin.

Matilija Dam was built more than five decades ago and is considered obsolete, with 95 percent of its water capacity choked by 6 million cubic yards of sediment.

"The massive buildup of sediment behind Matilija Dam is causing numerous environmental problems, including beach erosion and threats to steelhead trout," said Rep. Lois Capps, a Santa Barbara Democrat who got the dam removal included in the House water projects bill.

Congressional authorization of the project "will help ensure that the complete removal of the dam is carried out in a safe and environmentally sound manner," Capps said.

The project is in the design phase, with removal of the dam slated for sometime between 2010 and 2012, said Sue Hughes, Ventura County's legislative analyst.

Total cost of the project is estimated at $144.5 million. The federal government's share would be $89.7 million. Local agencies would pick up the rest. The county is working with the California Coastal Conservancy to secure additional funding for the project, Hughes said.