Before Congress recessed for the month of August, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA), introduced legislation to address emerging water concerns regarding drought, climate change, and consumer awareness.
The legislation includes a number of provisions that could help communities in California and across the country, including:
Efficiency and Conservation: Strengthens EPA’s WaterSense program, which promotes water conservation in products, buildings, and landscapes through information and rebates. The bill authorizes $50 million to administer the program and $700 million for rebates, through FY2019, and then funds them at FY2019 levels adjusted for inflation thereafter. Creates a new grant program within the Environmental Protection Agency for local water systems to conserve water, increase water efficiency or reuse water; modify or relocate existing water system infrastructure made or projected to be made inoperable by climate change impacts; preserve or improve water quality, and other projects.
Water Recycling, Storage, and Integrated Water Management: Leverages federal financing – through loan guarantees and matching grants – to help support projects on a regional scale, including water recycling, ground water management, water storage and water conveyance infrastructure including $250 million over five years for secured loans and $150 million for integrated regional water management, reclamation, and recycling projects grants.
Research, Data, and Technology:Establishes an open water data system at the Department of the Interior; reauthorizes the Water Resources Research Act at $9 million a year through 2020; reauthorizes the Water Desalination Act at $3 million a year through 2020, and directs the Secretary of the Army to review reservoir operations and assess whether there is a benefit in adjusting operations to take into account improved forecasting data.
Drought Preparedness:Establishes Drought Resilience Guidelines for state and local agencies through EPA in coordination with USDA, Commerce and Interior and directs U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in consultation with state and federal agencies, to prepare a salmon drought plan to address the impacts of drought on the salmon population.