HR 3727 IHCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To enhance the ability of drinking water utilities in the United States to develop and implement climate change adaptation programs and policies, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

October 6, 2009CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Ms. DEGETTE (for herself, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. POLIS of Colorado, Ms. TITUS, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, and Mr. PERLMUTTER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science and TechnologyCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To enhance the ability of drinking water utilities in the United States to develop and implement climate change adaptation programs and policies, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Drinking Water Adaptation, Technology, Education, and Research (WATER) Act’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) the consensus among climate scientists is overwhelming that climate change is occurring more rapidly than can be attributed to natural causes, and that significant impacts to the water supply are already occurring;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) among the first and most critical of those impacts will be change to patterns of precipitation around the world, which will affect water availability for the most basic drinking water and domestic water needs of populations in many areas of the United States;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) drinking water utilities throughout the United States, as well as those in Europe, Australia, and Asia, are concerned that extended changes in precipitation will lead to extended droughts;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) supplying water is highly energy-intensive and will become more so as climate change forces more utilities to turn to alternative supplies;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) energy production consumes a significant percentage of the fresh water resources of the United States;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(6) since 2003, the drinking water industry of the United States has sponsored, through a nonprofit water research foundation, various studies to assess the impacts of climate change on drinking water supplies;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(7) those studies demonstrate the need for a comprehensive program of research into the full range of impacts on drinking water utilities, including impacts on water supplies, facilities, and customers;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(8) that nonprofit water research foundation is also coordinating internationally with other drinking water utilities on shared research projects and has hosted international workshops with counterpart European and Asian water research organizations to develop a unified research agenda for applied research on adaptive strategies to address climate change impacts;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(9) research data in existence as of the date of enactment of this Act--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) summarize the best available scientific evidence on climate change;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) identify the implications of climate change for the water cycle and the availability and quality of water resources; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) provide general guidance on planning and adaptation strategies for water utilities; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(10) given uncertainties about specific climate changes in particular areas, drinking water utilities need to prepare for a wider range of likely possibilities in managing and delivery of water.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 3. RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON DRINKING WATER UTILITIES.

(a) In General- The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, and the Secretary of the Interior, shall establish and provide funding for a program of directed and applied research, to be conducted through a nonprofit drinking water research foundation and sponsored by water utilities, to assist the utilities in adapting to the effects of climate change.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Research Areas- The research conducted in accordance with subsection (a) shall include research into--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) water quality impacts and solutions, including research--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) to address probable impacts on raw water quality resulting from--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) erosion and turbidity from extreme precipitation events;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) watershed vegetation changes; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) increasing ranges of pathogens, algae, and nuisance organisms resulting from warmer temperatures; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) on mitigating increasing damage to watersheds and water quality by evaluating extreme events, such as wildfires and hurricanes, to learn and develop management approaches to mitigate--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) permanent watershed damage;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) quality and yield impacts on source waters; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) increased costs of water treatment;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) impacts on groundwater supplies from carbon sequestration, including research to evaluate potential water quality consequences of carbon sequestration in various regional aquifers, soil conditions, and mineral deposits;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) water quantity impacts and solutions, including research--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) to evaluate climate change impacts on water resources throughout hydrological basins of the United States;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) to improve the accuracy and resolution of climate change models at a regional level;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) to identify and explore options for increasing conjunctive use of aboveground and underground storage of water; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(D) to optimize operation of existing and new reservoirs in diminished and erratic periods of precipitation and runoff;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) infrastructure impacts and solutions for water treatment and wastewater treatment facilities and underground pipelines, including research--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) to evaluate and mitigate the impacts of sea level rise on--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) near-shore facilities;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) soil drying and subsidence;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) reduced flows in water and wastewater pipelines; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iv) extreme flows in wastewater systems; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) on ways of increasing the resilience of existing infrastructure, planning cost-effective responses to adapt to climate change, and developing new design standards for future infrastructure that include the use of energy conservation measures and renewable energy in new construction to the maximum extent practicable;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) desalination, water reuse, and alternative supply technologies, including research--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) to improve and optimize existing membrane technologies, and to identify and develop breakthrough technologies, to enable the use of seawater, brackish groundwater, treated wastewater, and other impaired sources;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) into new sources of water through more cost-effective water treatment practices in recycling and desalination; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) to improve technologies for use in--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) managing and minimizing the volume of desalination and reuse concentrate streams; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) minimizing the environmental impacts of seawater intake at desalination facilities;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(6) energy efficiency and greenhouse gas minimization, including research--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) on optimizing the energy efficiency of water supply and wastewater operations and improving water efficiency in energy production and management; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) to identify and develop renewable, carbon-neutral energy options for the water supply and wastewater industry;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(7) regional and hydrological basin cooperative water management solutions, including research into--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) institutional mechanisms for greater regional cooperation and use of water exchanges, banking, and transfers; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) the economic benefits of sharing risks of shortage across wider areas;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(8) utility management, decision support systems, and water management models, including research--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) into improved decision support systems and modeling tools for use by water utility managers to assist with increased water supply uncertainty and adaptation strategies posed by climate change;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) to provide financial tools, including new rate structures, to manage financial resources and investments, because increased conservation practices may diminish revenue and increase investments in infrastructure; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) to develop improved systems and models for use in evaluating--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) successful alternative methods for conservation and demand management; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) climate change impacts on groundwater resources;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(9) reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy demand management, including research to improve energy efficiency in water collection, production, transmission, treatment, distribution, and disposal to provide more sustainability and means to assist drinking water utilities in reducing the production of greenhouse gas emissions in the collection, production, transmission, treatment, distribution, and disposal of drinking water;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(10) water conservation and demand management, including research--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) to develop strategic approaches to water demand management that offer the lowest-cost, noninfrastructural options to serve growing populations or manage declining supplies, primarily through--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) efficiencies in water use and reallocation of the saved water;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) demand management tools;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) economic incentives; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iv) water-saving technologies; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) into efficiencies in water management through integrated water resource management that incorporates--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) supply-side and demand-side processes;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) continuous adaptive management; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) the inclusion of stakeholders in decisionmaking processes; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(11) communications, education, and public acceptance, including research--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) into improved strategies and approaches for communicating with customers, decisionmakers, and other stakeholders about the implications of climate change on water supply and water management;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) to develop effective communication approaches--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) to gain public acceptance of alternative water supplies and new policies and practices, including conservation and demand management; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) to gain public recognition and acceptance of increased costs; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) to create and maintain a clearinghouse of climate change information for water utilities, academic researchers, stakeholders, government agencies, and research organizations.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Authorization of Appropriations- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2020.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink