[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4944 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4944

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies regarding 
   the desalination of water and water reuse, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 11, 1994

  Mr. Miller of California (for himself, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Hamburg, Mr. 
  Bilbray, and Mr. Gallegly) introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred jointly to the Committees on Natural Resources and Science, 
                         Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies regarding 
   the desalination of water and water reuse, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Water Desalination Act of 1994''.

SEC. 2. DECLARATION OF POLICY.

    In view of the increasing shortage of usable surface and ground 
water and the importance of finding new sources of supply to meet 
present and future water needs and to further the goals of the Colorado 
River Basin Salinity Control Act of 1974, the Water Resources Research 
Act of 1984, Public Law 95-84 (as amended), and Public Law 102-575, it 
is the policy of the United States to conduct and sponsor research to 
develop low-cost alternatives for the desalination and reuse of water 
or biologically impaired water and to provide for the development of 
practicable low-cost means of producing water of a quality suitable for 
environmental enhancement, agricultural, industrial, municipal, and 
other beneficial consumptive or nonconsumptive uses from saline or 
biologically impaired waters on a scale sufficient to determine the 
feasibility of the development of such water production and 
distribution on a large scale for the purpose of conserving and 
increasing water resources.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act:
            (1) Desalination or desalting.--The terms ``desalination'' 
        or ``desalting'' mean the use of any process or technique for 
        the removal and, when feasible, adaptation to beneficial use, 
        of organic and inorganic elements and compounds from saline or 
        biologically impaired waters, by itself or in conjunction with 
        other processes.
            (2) Saline water.--The term ``saline water'' means sea 
        water, brackish water, and other mineralized or chemically 
        impaired water.
            (3) United states.--The term ``United States'' means the 
        States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the 
        Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories and 
        possessions of the United States.
            (4) Usable water.--The term ``usable water'' means water of 
        a high quality suitable for environmental enhancement, 
        agricultural, industrial, municipal, and other beneficial 
        consumptive or nonconsumptive uses.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF RESEARCH AND STUDIES.

    (a) In General.--In order to determine the most cost-effective and 
technologically efficient means by which usable water can be produced 
from saline water or water otherwise impaired or contaminated, the 
Secretary is authorized to award grants and to enter into contracts, to 
the extent provided in advance in appropriation Acts, to conduct, 
encourage, and assist in the financing of research to develop processes 
for converting saline water or water otherwise impaired or contaminated 
into water suitable for beneficial uses. Research and study topics 
authorized by this section include--
            (1) investigating desalination processes;
            (2) ascertaining the optimum mix of investment and 
        operating costs;
            (3) determining the best designs for different conditions 
        of operation;
            (4) investigating methods of increasing the economic 
        efficiency of desalination processes through dual-purpose co-
        facilities with other processes involving the use of water;
            (5) conducting or contracting for technical work, including 
        the design, construction, and testing of pilot systems and test 
        beds, to develop desalting processes and concepts; and
            (6) studying methods for the recovery of byproducts 
        resulting from the desalination of water to offset the costs of 
        treatment and to reduce environmental impacts from those 
        byproducts.
    (b) Project Recommendations and Reports to the Congress.--As soon 
as practicable and within three years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall recommend to Congress desalination 
demonstration projects or full-scale desalination projects to carry out 
the purposes of this Act and to further evaluate and implement the 
results of research and studies conducted under the authority of this 
section. Recommendations for projects shall be accompanied by reports 
on the engineering and economic feasibility of proposed projects and 
their environmental impacts.
    (c) Authority To Engage Others.--In carrying out research and 
studies authorized in this section, the Secretary may engage the 
necessary personnel, industrial or engineering firms, Federal 
laboratories, water resources research and technology institutes, other 
facilities, and educational institutions suitable to conduct 
investigations and studies authorized under this section.

SEC. 5. DESALINATION DEMONSTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--In order to further demonstrate the feasibility of 
desalination processes investigated either independently or in research 
conducted pursuant to section 4, the Secretary shall administer and 
conduct a demonstration and development program for water desalination 
and related activities, including the following:
            (1) Desalination plants and modules.--Conduct or contract 
        for technical work, including the design, construction, and 
        testing of plants and modules to develop desalination processes 
        and concepts.
            (2) Byproducts.--Study methods for the marketing of 
        byproducts resulting from the desalting of water to offset the 
        costs of treatment and to reduce environmental impacts of those 
        byproducts.
            (3) Economic surveys.--Conduct economic studies and surveys 
        to determine present and prospective costs of producing water 
        for beneficial purposes in various locations by desalination 
        processes compared to other methods.
    (b) Cooperative Agreements.--Federal participation in desalination 
activities may be conducted through cooperative agreements, including 
cost-sharing agreements, with non-Federal public utilities and State 
and local governmental agencies and other entities, in order to develop 
recommendations for Federal participation in processes and plants 
utilizing desalting technologies for the production of water.

SEC. 6. PARTICIPATION BY AGENCIES AND INTERESTED PERSONS.

    (a) Coordination With Other Agencies.--Activities undertaken by the 
Secretary pursuant to this Act may be coordinated or conducted jointly, 
as appropriate, with other Federal agencies, States, local government 
agencies, water resources research and technology institutes, and 
private entities.
    (b) Availability of Information.--All information from studies 
sponsored or funded under authority of this Act shall be considered 
public information.

SEC. 7. TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE.

    The Secretary may--
            (1) accept technical and administrative assistance from 
        States and public or private agencies in connection with 
        studies, surveys, location, construction, operation, and other 
        work relating to the desalting of water, and
            (2) enter into contracts or agreements stating the purposes 
        for which the assistance is contributed and providing for the 
        sharing of costs between the Secretary and any such agency.

SEC. 8. COST SHARING.

    The Federal share of the cost of a research, study, or 
demonstration project or a desalination development project or activity 
carried out under this Act shall not exceed 50 percent of the total 
cost of the project or research or study activity. The Secretary shall 
prescribe appropriate procedures to implement the provisions of this 
section. Costs of operation, maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation of 
facilities funded under the authority of this Act shall be non-Federal 
responsibilities.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
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