I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5483 

To promote water supply reliability and improved water management for 

rural communities, the State of California, and the Nation, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 

Mr. HARDER of California (for himself, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. COSTA, Mr. PANETTA, and Mr. SWALWELL) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To promote water supply reliability and improved water management for rural communities, the State of California, 

and the Nation, 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 ‘‘Securing Access for 

5 the central Valley and Enhancing (SAVE) Water Re6 sources Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FUND. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

9 Treasury of the United States a fund, to be known as the 


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1 ‘‘Water Infrastructure and Drought Solutions Fund’’ (re2 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Fund’’), consisting of— 

3 (1) such amounts as are deposited in the Fund 

4 under subsection (b); and 

5 (2) any interest earned on investment of 

6 amounts in the Fund under subsection (c)(1)(B). 

7 (b) DEPOSITS TO FUND.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—For each of fiscal years 

9 2032 through 2062, the Secretary of the Treasury 

10 shall deposit in the Fund $750,000,000 of the reve11 nues that would otherwise be deposited for the fiscal 

12 year in the reclamation fund established by the first 

13 section of the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388, 

14 chapter 1093), of which— 

15 (A) $250,000,000 shall be expended by the 

16 Secretary of the Interior for new surface or 

17 ground water storage projects provided that— 

18 (i) expenditures are made for nonre19 imbursable public benefits under Federal 

20 reclamation law (the Act of June 17, 1902 

21 (32 Stat. 388, chapter 1093), and Acts 

22 supplemental to and amendatory of that 

23 Act); and 


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1 (ii) Federal expenditures account for 

2 no more than 50 percent of total costs for 

3 any project; 

4 (B) $250,000,000 shall be expended by the 

5 Secretary of the Interior for water reclamation 

6 and reuse projects authorized under title XVI 

7 of Public Law 102–575 and section 4009 of 

8 Public Law 114–322; and 

9 (C) $250,000,000 shall be expended by the 

10 Secretary of the Interior for WaterSMART 

11 grants authorized under the Omnibus Public 

12 Lands Management Act of 2009 (42 U.S.C. 

13 10364). 

14 (2) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—Amounts de15 posited in the Fund under this section shall— 

16 (A) be made available in accordance with 

17 this section, without further appropriation; and 

18 (B) be in addition to amounts appropriated 

19 for such purposes under any other provision of 

20 law. 

21 (c) EXPENDITURES FROM FUND.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), 

23 for each of fiscal years 2032 through 2062, the re24 spective Secretary may expend from the Fund, in acVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:03 Sep 16, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5483.IH H5483

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1 cordance with this section, not more than an amount 

2 equal to the sum of— 

3 (A) the amounts deposited in the Fund 

4 that year under subsection (b); and 

5 (B) the amount of interest accrued in the 

6 Fund for the fiscal year in which the expendi7 tures are made. 

8 (2) ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURES.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may ex10 pend more in any fiscal year than the amounts 

11 described in subsection (a) if the additional 

12 amounts are available in the Fund as a result 

13 of a failure of the Secretary to expend all of the 

14 amounts available under subsection (a) in 1 or 

15 more prior fiscal years. 

16 (B) RETENTION IN ACCOUNTS.—Any addi17 tional amounts referred to in paragraph (1) 

18 shall— 

19 (i) accrue interest in accordance with 

20 this section; and 

21 (ii) only be expended for the purposes 

22 for which expenditures from the Fund are 

23 authorized. 

24 SEC. 3. GROUND WATER RECHARGE PLANNING. 

25 (a) FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.— 


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1 (1) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that— 

2 (A) there is a lack of information regard3 ing local ground water storage and recharge op4 portunities in the Western United States; 

5 (B) additional information regarding local 

6 ground water storage and recharge opportuni7 ties can help inform future Federal and State 

8 funding activities and assist State government 

9 initiatives such as implementation of part 2.74 

10 of the California Water Code (commonly known 

11 as the ‘‘Sustainable Groundwater Management 

12 Act’’); and 

13 (C) challenges associated with drought and 

14 extreme aridity from changing weather patterns 

15 will require additional investment in ground 

16 water storage and recharge. 

17 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is 

18 to help inform future Federal, State, local, and other 

19 investment in ground water recharge projects. 

20 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) CRITICALLY OVERDRAFTED BASINS.—The 

22 term ‘‘critically overdrafted basins’’ means those ba23 sins identified by the California Department of 

24 Water Resources pursuant to part 2.74 of the Cali25 fornia Water Code (commonly known as the ‘‘CaliVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:03 Sep 16, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5483.IH H5483

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1 fornia’s Sustainable Groundwater Management 

2 Act’’). 

3 (2) RECLAMATION STATE.—The term ‘‘Rec4 lamation State’’ means any Reclamation State (as 

5 defined in section 4014 of the Water Infrastructure 

6 Improvements for the Nation Act (Public Law 114– 

7 322; 43 U.S.C. 390b note)). 

8 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di10 rector of the United States Geological Survey. 

11 (c) EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 4 years after 

13 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

14 shall complete an evaluation and report to Congress 

15 that identifies potential ground water storage and 

16 recharge opportunities in each Reclamation State in17 cluding recharge opportunities in critically over18 drafted basins. 

19 (2) REPORT.—The report to Congress shall in20 clude— 

21 (A) an assessment of potentially beneficial 

22 storage and recharge locations based on the 

23 Secretary’s assessment of— 

24 (i) hydrologic attributes; 

25 (ii) geologic attributes; 


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1 (iii) engineering attributes; 

2 (iv) water supply benefits; 

3 (v) environmental benefits; 

4 (vi) infrastructure benefits related to 

5 mitigation of subsidence-related infrastruc6 ture damage; and 

7 (vii) sustainability benefits for criti8 cally overdrafted basins; and 

9 (B) an assessment of potential conveyance 

10 infrastructure needs to move excess runoff to 

11 the recharge locations identified by the Sec12 retary under this section. 

13 (3) COORDINATION.—To the maximum extent 

14 practicable, the Secretary shall coordinate research 

15 activities with Reclamation State agencies, ground 

16 water sustainability agencies, universities, and non17 profit organizations in a manner designed to assist 

18 with implementation of State-led initiatives such as 

19 part 2.74 of the California Water Code (commonly 

20 known as the ‘‘Sustainable Groundwater Manage21 ment Act’’). 


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1 SEC. 4. RECLAMATION INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE AND IN2 NOVATION PILOT PROGRAM. 

3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 

4 ‘‘Reclamation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation 

5 Act’’. 

6 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior 

7 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall estab8 lish and carry out a pilot program under which the Sec9 retary shall provide to eligible entities described in section 

10 5025 of the Water Resources Reform and Development 

11 Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3904) financial assistance to carry 

12 out eligible projects described in subsection (c) of this sec13 tion. 

14 (c) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—A project eligible to receive 

16 assistance under this section is a water supply 

17 project that, as determined by the Secretary— 

18 (A) is located in— 

19 (i) the State of Alaska; 

20 (ii) the State of Hawaii; or 

21 (iii) a Reclamation State (as defined 

22 in section 4014 of the Water Infrastruc23 ture Improvements for the Nation Act 

24 (Public Law 114–322; 43 U.S.C. 390b 

25 note)); 


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1 (B) would contribute directly or indirectly 

2 (including through ground water recharge) to a 

3 safe, adequate water supply for domestic, agri4 cultural, environmental, municipal, or industrial 

5 use; and 

6 (C) is otherwise eligible for assistance 

7 under this section. 

8 (2) SMALL COMMUNITY PROJECTS.—For 

9 projects eligible for assistance under this section and 

10 section 5028(a)(2)(B) of the Water Resources Re11 form and Development Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 

12 3907(a)(2)(B)), the Secretary may assist applicants 

13 in combining 1 or more projects into a single appli14 cation in order to meet the minimum project cost of 

15 $5,000,000 required under such section 

16 5028(a)(2)(B). 

17 (d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The following entities are 

18 eligible to receive assistance under this section: 

19 (1) An entity described in section 5025 of the 

20 Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 

21 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3904). 

22 (2) A conservancy district, reclamation district, 

23 or irrigation district. 

24 (3) A canal company or mutual water company. 

25 (4) A water users’ association. 


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1 (5) An agency established by an interstate com2 pact. 

3 (6) Any other individual or entity that has the 

4 capacity to contract with the United States under 

5 the reclamation laws. 

6 (e) REQUIREMENTS.— 

7 (1) PROJECT SELECTION.—In selecting eligible 

8 projects to receive assistance under this section, the 

9 Secretary shall ensure diversity with respect to— 

10 (A) project type; and 

11 (B) geographical location, both within and 

12 among the States referred to in subsection 

13 (c)(1). 

14 (2) IMPORTATION OF OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 

15 The following shall apply to the pilot program under 

16 this section: 

17 (A) Sections 5022, 5024, 5027, 5028, 

18 5029, 5030, 5031, 5032, and 5034(a) of the 

19 Water Resources Reform and Development Act 

20 of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3901, 3903, 3906, 3907, 

21 3908, 3909, 3910, 3911, and 3913(a)), except 

22 that— 

23 (i) any reference contained in those 

24 sections to the Secretary of the Army shall 


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1 be considered to be a reference to the Sec2 retary of the Interior; 

3 (ii) any reference contained in those 

4 sections to an eligible project shall be con5 sidered to be a reference to an eligible 

6 project described in subsection (c) of this 

7 section; 

8 (iii) subsections (a)(1)(E), (a)(6)(B), 

9 and (b)(3) of section 5028 of that Act (33 

10 U.S.C. 3907) shall not apply with respect 

11 to this section; and 

12 (iv) subsections (e) and (f) of section 

13 5030 of that Act (33 U.S.C. 3909) shall 

14 not apply with respect to this section. 

15 (B) The agreement between the Adminis16 trator of the Environmental Protection Agency 

17 and the Commissioner of Reclamation required 

18 under section 4301 of the America’s Water In19 frastructure Act of 2018 (Public Law 115– 

20 270). 

21 (C) Other applicable environmental laws, 

22 including the National Environmental Policy 

23 Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

24 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

2 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the pilot 

3 program under this section $150,000,000 for fiscal 

4 years 2024 through 2028, to remain available until 

5 expended. 

6 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Of the funds 

7 made available under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

8 may use for administrative costs of carrying out the 

9 pilot program under this section (including for the 

10 provision of technical assistance to project sponsors 

11 pursuant to paragraph (3) and in obtaining nec12 essary approvals and transfer to the Administrator 

13 of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide 

14 assistance in administering and servicing Federal 

15 credit instruments under the pilot program) not 

16 more than $5,000,000 for each applicable fiscal 

17 year. 

18 (3) SMALL COMMUNITY PROJECTS.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara20 graph (B), the Commissioner may use the 

21 funds made available under paragraph (2) to 

22 provide assistance, including assistance to pay 

23 the costs of acquiring the rating opinion letters 

24 under section 5028(a)(1)(D) of the Water Re25 sources Reform and Development Act of 2014 


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1 (33 U.S.C. 3907(a)(1)(D)), to assist project 

2 sponsors in obtaining the necessary approval for 

3 small community projects that are eligible for 

4 assistance under section 5028(a)(2)(B) of that 

5 Act. 

6 (B) LIMITATION.—Assistance provided to 

7 a project sponsor under subparagraph (A) may 

8 not exceed an amount equal to 75 percent of 

9 the total administrative costs incurred by the 

10 project sponsor in securing financial assistance 

11 under this section. 

12 (g) LIMITATION.—No project that receives financial 

13 assistance under this section may be financed (directly or 

14 indirectly), in whole or in part, with proceeds of any obli15 gation the interest on which is exempt from the tax im16 posed under chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

17 1986. 

18 (h) ELIGIBILITY FOR ASSISTANCE.— 

19 (1) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—The following 

20 projects may be carried out using assistance made 

21 available under this section: 

22 (A) A project for the reclamation and 

23 reuse of municipal, industrial, domestic, and ag24 ricultural wastewater, and naturally impaired 

25 ground water, which the Secretary, acting 


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1 through the Commissioner of Reclamation, is 

2 authorized to undertake. 

3 (B) Any water infrastructure project not 

4 specifically authorized by law that— 

5 (i) the Secretary determines, through 

6 the completion of an appraisal investiga7 tion and feasibility study, would contribute 

8 to a safe, adequate water supply for do9 mestic, agricultural, environmental, or mu10 nicipal and industrial use; and 

11 (ii) is otherwise eligible for assistance 

12 under this section. 

13 (C) A new water infrastructure facility 

14 project, including— 

15 (i) a water conduit, pipeline, or canal; 

16 and 

17 (ii) pumping, power, and associated 

18 facilities. 

19 (D) A project for enhanced energy effi20 ciency in the operation of a water system. 

21 (E) A project for accelerated repair and re22 placement of all, or a portion, of an aging water 

23 distribution facility. 

24 (F) A brackish or sea water desalination 

25 project. 


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1 (G) Acquisition of real property or an in2 terest in real property for water storage, re3 claimed or recycled water, or wastewater, if the 

4 acquisition is integral to a project described in 

5 subparagraphs (A) through (F). 

6 (H) A project to deliver water to wildlife 

7 refuges. 

8 (I) A combination of projects, each of 

9 which is eligible under subparagraphs (A) 

10 through (H), for which an eligible entity sub11 mits a single application. 

12 (2) ACTIVITIES ELIGIBLE FOR ASSISTANCE.— 

13 For the purposes of this section, an eligible activity 

14 with respect to an eligible project under paragraph 

15 (1) includes the cost of— 

16 (A) development-phase activities, including 

17 planning, feasibility analysis, revenue fore18 casting, environmental review, permitting, 

19 transaction costs, preliminary engineering and 

20 design work, and other preconstruction activi21 ties; 

22 (B) construction, reconstruction, rehabili23 tation, and replacement activities; 

24 (C) the acquisition of real property (includ25 ing water rights, land relating to the project, 


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1 and improvements to land), environmental miti2 gation, construction contingencies, and acquisi3 tion of equipment; 

4 (D) capitalized interest necessary to meet 

5 market requirements, reasonably required re6 serve funds, capital issuance expenses, and 

7 other carrying costs during construction; 

8 (E) refinancing interim construction fund9 ing, long-term project obligations, or a secured 

10 loan, loan guarantee, or other credit enhance11 ment made under this section; 

12 (F) refinancing long-term project obliga13 tions or Federal credit instruments, if that refi14 nancing provides additional funding capacity for 

15 the completion, enhancement, or expansion of 

16 any project selected for assistance under this 

17 Act; 

18 (G) reimbursement or success payments to 

19 any public or private entity that achieves pre20 determined outcomes on a pay-for-performance 

21 or pay-for-success basis; and 

22 (H) grants, loans, or credit enhancement 

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1 mediaries providing ongoing finance for projects 

2 that meet the purposes of this section. 

3 SEC. 5. FEASIBILITY STUDIES. 

4 As soon as practicable after the date of the enactment 

5 of this Act, in compliance with all environmental and other 

6 applicable laws, the Secretary of the Interior shall com7 plete all remaining feasibility studies associated with Del 

8 Puerto Canyon Reservoir, located in the foothills of the 

9 Coast Range mountains west of Patterson, California. 

10 SEC. 6. RURAL WATER SUPPLY PROGRAM REAUTHORIZA11 TION. 

12 The Rural Water Supply Act of 2006 (Public Law 

13 109–451) is amended— 

14 (1) in section 109(a) (43 U.S.C. 2408(a)), by 

15 striking ‘‘2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’; and 

16 (2) in section 110 (43 U.S.C. 2409), by striking 

17 ‘‘2016’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’. 

18 SEC. 7. COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE FUNDING 

19 OF WATER RECYCLING AND REUSE 

20 PROJECTS. 

21 (a) COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE FUND22 ING OF WATER RECYCLING AND REUSE PROJECTS.—Sec23 tion 1602(f) of the Reclamation Wastewater and Ground24 water Study and Facilities Act (title XVI of Public Law 


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

2 paragraphs (2) and (3) and inserting the following: 

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

4 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give funding pri5 ority to projects that meet one or more of the fol6 lowing criteria: 

7 ‘‘(A) Projects that are likely to provide a 

8 more reliable water supply for States and local 

9 governments. 

10 ‘‘(B) Projects that are likely to increase 

11 the water management flexibility and reduce 

12 impacts on environmental resources from 

13 projects operated by Federal and State agen14 cies. 

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

16 ‘‘(D) Projects with multiple stakeholders. 

17 ‘‘(E) Projects that provide multiple bene18 fits, including water supply reliability, eco-sys19 tem benefits, ground water management and 

20 enhancements, and water quality improve21 ments.’’. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

23 1602(g) of the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 

24 Study and Facilities Act (title XVI of Public Law 102– 

25 575; 43 U.S.C. 390h et seq.) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘$50,000,000’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘$500,000,000 through fiscal year 2027’’; and 

3 (2) by striking ‘‘if enacted appropriations legis4 lation designates funding to them by name.’’. 

5 (c) DURATION.—Section 4013 of the WIIN Act (Pub6 lic Law 114–332; 43 U.S.C. 390b note) is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’; 

8 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘4007, 

9 4009(a), and 4009(c).’’ and inserting ‘‘4007 and 

10 4009(a); and’’ 

11 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(3) section 4009(c).’’. 

13 (d) LIMITATION ON FUNDING.—Section 1631(d) of 

14 the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and 

15 Facilities Act (43 U.S.C. 390h–13(d)) is amended by 

16 striking ‘‘$20,000,000 (October 1996 prices)’’ and insert17 ing ‘‘$30,000,000 (January 2019 prices)’’. 

18 SEC. 8. WATER TECHNOLOGY AWARD PROGRAM AND IN19 VESTMENT PROGRAMS. 

20 (a) AWARD PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.—The Secretary 

21 of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, 

22 shall establish a program to award prizes to eligible per23 sons described in subsection (b) for achievement in 1 or 

24 more of the following applications of water technology: 


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1 (1) Demonstration of desalination of brackish 

2 or sea water with significantly less energy than com3 mercially available reverse osmosis technology. 

4 (2) Demonstration of portable or modular de5 salination units that can process 1 to 5,000,000 gal6 lons per day that can be deployed for temporary 

7 emergency uses in coastal communities or commu8 nities with brackish ground water supplies. 

9 (3) Demonstration of significant advantages 

10 over commercially available reverse osmosis tech11 nology as determined by the board established under 

12 subsection (c). 

13 (4) Reducing open water evaporation. 

14 (5) Improving methods to treat and reuse agri15 cultural drainage waters. 

16 (6) Reducing the loss of threatened and endan17 gered fish due to fish predation. 

18 (7) Reducing the entrainment of fish larvae on 

19 screens and intakes. 

20 (b) ELIGIBLE PERSON.—For the purposes of award21 ing prizes under subsection (a), an eligible person is— 

22 (1) an individual who is— 

23 (A) a citizen or legal resident of the 

24 United States; or 


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1 (B) a member of an agricultural group or 

2 organization that includes citizens or legal resi3 dents of the United States; 

4 (2) an entity that is incorporated and maintains 

5 its primary place of business in the United States; 

6 or 

7 (3) a public water agency. 

8 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF BOARD.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte10 rior shall establish a board (referred to in this sec11 tion as the ‘‘Board’’) to administer the program es12 tablished under subsection (a). 

13 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Board shall be com14 posed of not less than 15 and not more than 21 

15 members appointed by the President, including— 

16 (A) at least 1 member with expertise in the 

17 field of water technology or administering 

18 award competitions; and 

19 (B) at least 1 representative for each the 

20 following: 

21 (i) The interests of academic, busi22 ness, and nonprofit organizations. 

23 (ii) Agricultural water users. 

24 (iii) Municipal and industrial water 

25 users. 


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1 (iv) The Bureau of Reclamation of the 

2 Department of the Interior. 

3 (v) The National Science Foundation. 

4 (d) AWARDS.—Subject to the availability of appro5 priations, the Board may make awards under the program 

6 established under subsection (a) as follows: 

7 (1) FINANCIAL PRIZE.—The Board may hold a 

8 financial award competition and award a financial 

9 award in an amount determined before the com10 mencement of the competition to the first competitor 

11 to meet such criteria as the Board shall establish. 

12 (2) RECOGNITION PRIZE.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Board may recog14 nize an eligible person for superlative achieve15 ment in 1 or more applications described in 

16 subsection (a). 

17 (B) NO FINANCIAL REMUNERATION.—An 

18 award under this paragraph shall not include 

19 any financial remuneration. 

20 (C) NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVA21 TION MEDAL RECOMMENDATIONS.—If an eligi22 ble person is recognized under this paragraph, 

23 the Board shall recommend to the Secretary of 

24 Commerce that a recommendation be submitted 

25 to the President to award such eligible person 


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1 the National Technology and Innovation Medal 

2 under section 3711 of the Stevenson-Wydler 

3 Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 

4 3711). 

5 (e) ADMINISTRATION.— 

6 (1) CONTRACTING.—The Board may contract 

7 with a private organization to administer a financial 

8 award competition described in subsection (d)(1). 

9 (2) SOLICITATION OF FUNDS.—A member of 

10 the Board or any administering organization with 

11 which the Board has a contract under paragraph (1) 

12 may solicit gifts from private and public entities to 

13 be used for a financial award under subsection 

14 (d)(1). 

15 (3) LIMITATION ON PARTICIPATION OF DO16 NORS.—The Board may allow a donor who is a pri17 vate person described in paragraph (2) to participate 

18 in the determination of criteria for an award under 

19 subsection (d), but such donor may not solely deter20 mine the criteria for such award. 

21 (4) NO ADVANTAGE FOR DONATION.—A donor 

22 who is a private person described in paragraph (3) 

23 shall not be entitled to any special consideration or 

24 advantage with respect to participation in a financial 

25 award competition under subsection (d)(1). 


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1 (f) INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.—The Federal Gov2 ernment may not acquire an intellectual property right in 

3 any product or idea by virtue of the submission of such 

4 product or idea in any competition under subsection 

5 (d)(1). 

6 (g) LIABILITY.—The Board may require a competitor 

7 in a financial award competition under subsection (d)(1) 

8 to waive liability against the Federal Government for inju9 ries and damages that result from participation in such 

10 competition. 

11 (h) ANNUAL REPORT.—Each year, the Board shall 

12 submit to Congress a report on the program established 

13 under subsection (a). 

14 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

16 appropriated sums for the program established 

17 under subsection (a) as follows: 

18 (A) For administration of prize competi19 tions under subsection (d), $750,000 for each 

20 fiscal year. 

21 (B) For the awarding of a financial prize 

22 award under subsection (d)(1), in addition to 

23 any amounts received under subsection (e)(2), 

24 $2,000,000 for each fiscal year. 


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1 (2) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pur2 suant to the authorization of appropriations under 

3 paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended. 

4 (j) WATER TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT PROGRAM

5 ESTABLISHED.—The Secretary of the Interior, acting 

6 through the Bureau of Reclamation, shall establish a pro7 gram, pursuant to the Reclamation Wastewater and 

8 Groundwater Study and Facilities Act (title XVI of Public 

9 Law 102–575), the Water Desalination Act of 1996 (Pub10 lic Law 104–298), and other applicable laws, to promote 

11 the expanded use of technology for improving availability 

12 and resiliency of water supplies and power deliveries, 

13 which shall include— 

14 (1) investments to enable expanded and acceler15 ated deployment of desalination technology; 

16 (2) investments to enable expanded and acceler17 ated use of recycled water; and 

18 (3) investments that improve water manage19 ment, using best available science, and include real20 time monitoring of wildlife and water deliveries. 

21 (k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each fis23 cal year for the Secretary to carry out the purposes and 

24 provisions of subsection (j). Funds made available under 


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•HR 5483 IH

1 this subsection shall be considered a nonreimbursable Fed2 eral expenditure and shall remain available until expended. 

3 SEC. 9. LOS VAQUEROS RESERVOIR EXPANSION. 

4 In compliance with all environmental and other appli5 cable laws, the Secretary of the Interior shall take all nec6 essary steps as expeditiously as possible, to complete all 

7 necessary reviews to issue a Record of Decision on the Los 

8 Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Phase II project. 

9 SEC. 10. EXPEDITED RESPONSE TO INCLUSION REQUEST. 

10 The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bu11 reau of Reclamation, shall expedite to the Stockton East 

12 Water District a detailed response with respect to affect13 ing changes of the Water District’s inclusion request dated 

14 June 7, 2023 (relating to the inclusion of new lands into 

15 the Water District’s Central Valley Project service area), 

16 and shall make such changes to ensure the inclusion of 

17 the new lands into the Water District’s Central Valley 

18 Project Service area. 

Æ 


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