I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2993 

To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities 

Act to authorize funding for water recycling projects in areas experiencing severe, extreme, or exceptional drought, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 9, 2015 

Ms. MATSUI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 

Study and Facilities Act to authorize funding for water 

recycling projects in areas experiencing severe, extreme, 

or exceptional drought, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Water Recycling Accel5 eration Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FUNDING FOR WATER RECYCLING PROJECTS. 

7 Section 1602 of the Reclamation Wastewater and 

8 Groundwater Study and Facilities Act (Title XVI of Pubmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 lic Law 102–575; 43 U.S.C. 390h et seq.) is amended by 

2 adding at the end the following new subsection: 

3 ‘‘(e) FUNDING FOR WATER RECYCLING PROJECTS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any project for which 

5 funding may otherwise be made available under this 

6 title shall not be required to have been previously 

7 specifically authorized by law for such funding, if 

8 that project reclaims and reuses— 

9 ‘‘(A) municipal, industrial, domestic, or ag10 ricultural wastewater; or 

11 ‘‘(B) naturally impaired ground and sur12 face waters. 

13 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—When funding projects under 

14 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give funding pri15 ority to projects that meet all of the criteria listed 

16 in paragraph (3) and are located in an area that— 

17 ‘‘(A) has been identified by the United 

18 States Drought Monitor as experiencing severe, 

19 extreme, or exceptional drought at any time 

20 during the 4-year period before such funds are 

21 made available; or 

22 ‘‘(B) was designated as a disaster area by 

23 the State between January 1, 2014, and De24 cember 31, 2018. 

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1 ‘‘(3) CRITERIA.—The project criteria referred 

2 to in paragraph (2) are the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) Projects that are likely to— 

4 ‘‘(i) provide for a more reliable water 

5 supply; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) protect, restore, and enhance 

7 river or estuarine ecosystems or their im8 mediate tributaries. 

9 ‘‘(B) Projects that are likely to improve 

10 water resource flexibility and reduce impacts on 

11 environmental resources. 

12 ‘‘(C) Projects that are regional in nature. 

13 ‘‘(D) Projects that have multiple stake14 holders. 

15 ‘‘(E) Projects that provide multiple bene16 fits, including water supply reliability, eco17 system benefits, ground water management and 

18 enhancements, and water quality improvements. 

19 ‘‘(F) Projects for which a feasibility study 

20 has been completed and any necessary environ21 mental or public reviews have been initiated. 

22 ‘‘(4) GUIDELINES.—Not later than 90 days 

23 after date of the enactment of this subsection, to as24 sist non-Federal interests, the Secretary shall issue 

25 water recycling project solicitation and evaluation 

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1 guidelines that include the criteria listed in para2 graph (3). 

3 ‘‘(5) PROJECT SOLICITATION.—Not later than 

4 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 

5 subsection, the Secretary shall solicit water recycling 

6 project proposals. 

7 ‘‘(6) REVIEW BY COMMISSIONER.—The Sec8 retary shall review each proposed water recycling 

9 project received under this subsection for the pur10 pose of determining whether or not the proposal, 

11 and the process under which the proposal was devel12 oped, comply with Federal laws and regulations ap13 plicable to the development of water recycling 

14 projects. 

15 ‘‘(7) SUNSET.—The authority of the Secretary 

16 under this subsection shall terminate 10 years after 

17 the date of the enactment of this subsection.’’. 

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