Water Recycling Acceleration Act of 2015

2015-07-09

Introduced in House

Water Recycling Acceleration Act of 2015

Amends the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to provide that any water recycling project for which funding may otherwise be available under such Act shall not be required to have been previously specifically authorized by law for such funding, if that project reclaims and reuses: (1) municipal, industrial, domestic, or agricultural wastewater; or (2) naturally impaired ground and surface waters.

Requires the Department of the Interior to give funding priority to such projects:

that are located in an area that has been identified by the U.S. Drought Monitor as experiencing severe, extreme, or exceptional drought at any time during the previous four-year period or that was designated as a disaster area by the state between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018;
that are likely to provide for a more reliable water supply and to protect, restore, and enhance river or estuarine ecosystems or their immediate tributaries;
that are likely to improve water resource flexibility and reduce impacts on environmental resources;
that are regional in nature;
that have multiple stakeholders;
that provide multiple benefits, including water supply reliability, ecosystem benefits, groundwater management and enhancements, and water quality improvements; and
for which a feasibility study has been completed and any necessary environmental or public reviews have been initiated.

Requires Interior to: (1) issue water recycling project solicitation and evaluation guidelines that include such criteria; (2) solicit water recycling project proposals; and (3) review each proposed water recycling project for the purpose of determining whether or not the proposal, and the process under which the proposal was developed, comply with federal law applicable to the development of water recycling projects.

Terminates Interior's authority under this Act 10 years after its enactment.

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