[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 811 Reported in House (RH)]





                                                 Union Calendar No. 428

104th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                 S. 811

                      [Report No. 104-790, Part I]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

To authorize research into the desalinization and reclamation of water 
  and authorize a program for States, cities, or qualifying agencies 
   desiring to own and operate a water desalinization or reclamation 
      facility to develop such facilities, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           September 16, 1996

     Referral to the Committees on Science and Transportation and 
 Infrastructure extended for a period ending not later than September 
                                16, 1996

                           September 16, 1996

Reported from the Committee on Resources with amendments, committed to 
the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered 
                             to be printed





                                                 Union Calendar No. 428
104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                 S. 811

                      [Report No. 104-790, Part I]


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 1996

    Referred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the 
  Committees on Science, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

                           September 16, 1996

     Referral to the Committees on Science and Transportation and 
 Infrastructure extended for a period ending not later than September 
                                16, 1996

                           September 16, 1996

Reported from the Committee on Resources with amendments, committed to 
the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered 
                             to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
  [For text of Senate passed bill, see copy of bill as printed in the 
               House of Representatives on May 14, 1996]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To authorize research into the desalinization and reclamation of water 
  and authorize a program for States, cities, or qualifying agencies 
   desiring to own and operate a water desalinization or reclamation 
      facility to develop such facilities, 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 1996''.

SEC. 2. 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. 3. 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 into water suitable for beneficial uses. 
Awards of research grants and contracts under this section shall be 
made on the basis of a competitive, merit-reviewed process. 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 desalination 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.
    (d) Alternative Technologies.--In carrying out the purposes of this 
Act, the Secretary shall ensure that at least three separate 
technologies are evaluated and demonstrated for the purposes of 
accomplishing desalination.

SEC. 4. 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 3, 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. 5. AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.

    All information from studies sponsored or funded under authority of 
this Act shall be considered public information.

SEC. 6. 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. 7. 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. A Federal 
contribution in excess of 25 percent for a project carried out under 
this Act may not be made unless the Secretary determines that the 
project is not feasible without such increased Federal contribution. 
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. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Section 3.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out section 3 of this Act $5,000,000 per year for fiscal years 1997 
through 2002. Of these amounts, up to $1,000,000 in each fiscal year 
may be awarded to institutions of higher education, including United 
States-Mexico binational research foundations and interuniversity 
research programs established by the two countries, for research grants 
without any cost-sharing requirement.
    (b) Section 4.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out section 4 of this Act $25,000,000 for fiscal years 1997 through 
2002.
            Amend the title so as to read: ``An Act to authorize the 
        Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies regarding the 
        desalination of water and water reuse, and for other 
        purposes.''.

            Passed the Senate May 3, 1996.

            Attest:

                                             KELLY D. JOHNSTON,

                                                             Secretary.