Program to investigate reclamation and reuse of wastewater and groundwater; general authority

The Secretary of the Interior (hereafter “Secretary”), acting pursuant to the Reclamation Act of 1902 (Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388) and Acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto (hereafter “Federal reclamation laws”), is directed to undertake a program to investigate and identify opportunities for reclamation and reuse of municipal, industrial, domestic, and agricultural wastewater, and naturally impaired ground and surface waters, for the design and construction of demonstration and permanent facilities to reclaim and reuse wastewater, and to conduct research, including desalting, for the reclamation of wastewater and naturally impaired ground and surface waters. Such program shall be limited to the States and areas referred to in section 1 of the Reclamation Act of 1902 (Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388) [43 U.S.C. 391] as amended, and the State of Hawaii. The Secretary is authorized to enter into such agreements and promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes and provisions of sections 390h to 390h–39 of this title. The Secretary shall not investigate, promote or implement, pursuant to sections 390h to 390h–39 of this title, any project intended to reclaim and reuse agricultural wastewater generated in the service area of the San Luis Unit of the Central Valley Project, California, except those measures recommended for action by the San Joaquin Valley Drainage Program in the report entitled A Management Plan for Agricultural Subsurface Drainage and Related Problems on the Westside San Joaquin Valley (September 1990). Non-Federal interests may submit proposals for projects eligible to be authorized pursuant to this section in the form of completed feasibility studies to the Secretary. A project shall be considered eligible for consideration under this section if the project reclaims and reuses— Within 60 days of the enactment of this Act the Secretary shall issue guidelines for feasibility studies for water recycling and reuse projects to provide sufficient information for the formulation of the studies. The Secretary shall review each feasibility study received under paragraph (1)(A) for the purpose of— Not later than 180 days after the date of receipt of a feasibility study received under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report that describes— The non-Federal project sponsor of any project determined by the Secretary to be feasible under paragraph (3)(A) shall be eligible to apply to the Secretary for funding for the Federal share of the costs of planning, designing and constructing the project pursuant to subsection (f). The Secretary shall establish a competitive grant program under which the non-Federal project sponsor of any project determined by the Secretary to be feasible under subsection (e)(3)(A) shall be eligible to apply for funding for the planning, design, and construction of the project, subject to subsection (g)(2). When funding projects under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give funding priority to projects that meet one or more of the criteria listed in paragraph (3) and are located in an area that— The project criteria referred to in paragraph (2) are the following: