(12) development of a new generation of water 
monitoring reporting and notification techniques; 
and 
(13) controlling, limiting, treating, or pre-
venting pharmaceutical and personal care products 
from being in or entering waters of the United 
States. 
(b) CONSULTATION.—In administering the program 
under this section, the Administrator shall annually hold 
a national meeting to bring together major stakeholders, 
including representatives from the following: 
(1) The public. 
(2) States, local governments, and organizations 
representing States or local governments. 
(3) The National Science Foundation, the Na-
tional Academy of Science, the National Academy of 
Engineering, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 
Department of Agriculture, the United States Geo-
logical Survey, the White House Office of Science 
and Technology Policy, the Department of Energy, 
and the Council on Environmental Quality. 
(4) Universities, colleges, and other institutions 
of higher education. 
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(5) Other public nonprofit entities with exper-
tise in research and development of technologies for 
the treatment, control, transport, and re-use of 
stormwater and wastewater. 
(c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS
OR GRANTS.—In 
carrying out the program under this section, the Adminis-
trator may enter into cooperative agreements or make 
grants or, both, to develop improved technologies and 
methods under subsection (a) with or to nonprofit and 
governmental entities having demonstrated expertise in re-
search and development of the treatment, control, trans-
port, and re-use of stormwater and wastewater, including 
the following entities: 
(1) The Water Environment Research Founda-
tion. 
(2) Public nonprofit entities, including those 
whose members or subscribers include stormwater 
and wastewater utilities and local governments. 
(3) Universities, colleges, and other institutions 
of higher education. 
(4) Local governments, including publicly 
owned treatment works. 
(5) The National Science Foundation. 
(6) The National Institutes for Water Re-
sources. 
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(d) DEMONSTRATION
PROJECTS.—The Adminis-
trator is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements 
with entities described in subsection (c) and for-profit en-
tities to demonstrate the viability and effectiveness of a 
new technology for the treatment, control, transport, and 
re-use of stormwater or wastewater. 
(e) SELECTION.—In entering into cooperative agree-
ments and making grants under subsection (c), the Ad-
ministrator shall give priority to cooperative agreements 
and grants that— 
(1) create multiple environmental, social, and 
economic benefits for communities; and 
(2) consider— 
(A) a variety of water resource opportuni-
ties and needs; 
(B) unique and diverse geology and geog-
raphy; 
(C) the ability to provide the greatest tech-
nological diversity using limited financial re-
sources; and 
(D) the commitment of each community or 
regional area to find and fund appropriate al-
ternative technologies to resolve their water in-
frastructure needs. 
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(f) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the 
costs for which a grant is made under this section shall 
be 65 percent, except that the Administrator may increase 
such Federal share based on the purpose for which the 
grant is made and the type of grant recipient. 
(g) FUNDING.—The Administrator shall carry out 
this section using funds appropriated out of the Water 
Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund that are allo-
cated for that purpose under section 103. 
(h) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—The Administrator 
shall prepare and submit a biennial report to Congress on 
the results of technology research, development, and full- 
scale demonstrations performed under this section and 
recommendations for encouraging the use of such tech-
nologies by stormwater and wastewater utilities. 
SEC. 306. REGIONAL WATER RESEARCH CENTERS. 
(a) REGIONAL CENTERS.— 
(1) GRANTS.—The Administrator, in collabora-
tion with the Director of the National Science Foun-
dation, shall make grants to nonprofit institutions of 
higher learning to establish and operate one univer-
sity water research center in each of such 21 hydro- 
regions as the Administrator, in consultation with 
the United States Geological Survey, may establish. 
The Administrator, in consultation with the United 
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States Geological Survey, may adjust the boundaries 
of such regions to assure that none of the 
conterminous regions are either larger or smaller 
than another by more than two fold. 
(2) DESIGNATION
OF
NATIONAL
WATER
RE-
SEARCH CENTER.—The Administrator, in collabora-
tion with the Director, shall designate one of the 21 
university water research centers as the ‘‘National 
Water Research Center’’. 
(3) MISSION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The mission of the cen-
ters shall be to conduct and coordinate strategic 
research, education, and outreach for sustain-
able management of water resources in every 
hydro-climatic region of the United States. 
(B) NATIONAL
WATER
RESEARCH
CEN-
TER.—In addition to its mission under subpara-
graph (A), the mission of the National Water 
Research Center shall be to gather, archive, and 
publish data from the regional centers and to 
integrate the regional findings into a national 
research strategy. 
(4) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, 
the term ‘‘nonprofit institution of higher learning’’ 
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includes a consortium of nonprofit institutions of 
higher learning. 
(b) SELECTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS.— 
(1) APPLICATIONS.—In order to be eligible to 
receive a grant under this section, a nonprofit insti-
tution of higher learning shall submit to the Admin-
istrator an application that is in such form and con-
tains such information as the Administrator may re-
quire. 
(2) SELECTION CRITERIA.—Except as otherwise 
provided by this section, the Administrator, in col-
laboration with the Director, shall select each recipi-
ent of a grant under this section through a competi-
tive process on the basis of the following: 
(A) The location of the center within the 
region to be served. 
(B) The demonstrated research and exten-
sion resources available to the recipient to carry 
out the objectives of this section. 
(C) The capability of the recipient to pro-
vide leadership in making national and regional 
contributions to the solution of immediate and 
long-range water supply, water infrastructure, 
and water quality problems. 
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(D) The recipient’s establishment of a 
water program encompassing several areas of 
water research. 
(E) The recipient’s demonstrated commit-
ment of at least $400,000 each year in regu-
larly budgeted institutional amounts to support 
ongoing research in water and education pro-
grams through a statewide or region-wide con-
tinuing education program. 
(F) The recipient’s demonstrated ability to 
disseminate results of water research and edu-
cation programs through a statewide or region- 
wide continuing education program. 
(G) The strategic plan the recipient pro-
poses to implement in order to carry out the 
purposes for which the grant will be made. 
(H) The recipient’s demonstration that it 
has a well-established, nationally recognized 
program in water research and education, as 
evidenced by— 
(i) not less than 10 graduate degrees 
awarded in professional fields closely re-
lated to water each year for each of the 5 
calendar years preceding the date of the 
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submission of the application for the grant; 
and 
(ii) not less than 10 tenured or ten-
ure-track faculty members who specialize 
on a full-time basis in professional fields 
closely related to water who, as a group, 
have published a total or at least 50 jour-
nal publications on water research during 
the preceding 5 calendar years. 
(c) OBJECTIVES.—Except for a grant for the estab-
lishment and operation of the National Water Research 
Center, a grant made under this section may only be used 
to establish and operate a university water research center 
in accordance with this section, including the conduct of 
the following activities and programs: 
(1) RESEARCH.—Basic and applied research, 
the products of which are judged by peers or other 
experts in the field of water to advanced the body 
of knowledge in water availability and use, water 
quality, water infrastructure sustainability, and 
water institutions. 
(2) EDUCATION.—An education program relat-
ing to water that includes multidisciplinary course 
work and participation in research. 
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(3) TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.—An ongoing pro-
gram of technology transfer that makes water re-
search results available to potential users, including 
policymakers, in a form that can be implemented, 
utilized, or otherwise applied. 
(d) CONTINUING GRANTS.— 
(1) PERIOD OF GRANTS.—After selecting a non-
profit institution of higher learning as a grant re-
cipient on the basis of a competition conducted 
under this section, the Administrator, in collabora-
tion with the Director, shall make a grant to the se-
lected grant recipient to establish and operate a re-
gional university water center under this section in 
each of the first 5 fiscal years beginning after the 
date of the competition. 
(2) GRANT AGREEMENT.—In order to be eligi-
ble to receive a grant under this section, a recipient 
shall enter into an agreement with the Administrator 
to ensure that the recipient will maintain total ex-
penditures from all other sources to establish and 
operate a university water research center (including 
the conduct of activities and programs the center is 
authorized to carry out under subsection (c) and 
subsections (a)(3)(B) and (f) in the case of the Na-
tional Water Research Center) at least equal to the 
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average level of such expenditures in its 2 fiscal 
years before the award of the grant under this sec-
tion. 
(3) COMPETITION DEADLINE.—Not later than 
the last day of the one-year period following the date 
of enactment of this Act and March 31st of each 5th 
year thereafter, the Administrator, in collaboration 
with the Director, shall complete a competition 
among nonprofit institutions of higher learning for 
grants to establish and operate the 21 regional uni-
versity water centers referred to in subsection (a). 
(4) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.—The Administrator 
shall make a grant to a nonprofit institution of high-
er learning selected under this section to be a grant 
recipient for the establishment and operation of a re-
gional university water center (including the conduct 
of activities and programs described in subsection 
(c)) of at least $2,000,000 for each fiscal year but 
no more than $4,000,000; except that a grant for 
establishment and operation of the National Water 
Research Center (including the conduct of the activi-
ties described in subsections (a)(3)(B), (c), and (f)) 
shall be at least $6,000,000 for each fiscal year but 
no more than $12,000,000. 
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(e) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the 
costs of establishment and operation of a center under this 
section (including the conduct of the activities and pro-
grams the center is authorized to carry out under sub-
section (c) and subsections (a)(3)(B) and (f) in the case 
of the National Water Research Center) through a grant 
made under this section shall be 50 percent in the case 
of a regional university water center and 85 percent in 
the case of the National Water Research Center. 
(f) PROGRAM COORDINATION.— 
(1) COORDINATION.—The Administrator, work-
ing through the National Water Research Center, 
shall— 
(A) support a network of university water 
centers to coordinate and facilitate information 
technology development and implementation 
across the centers; 
(B) coordinate research, education, train-
ing, and technology transfer activities that 
grant recipients are authorized to carry out 
under this section; 
(C) synthesize research conducted under 
this section; 
(D) disseminate the results of the research; 
and 
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(E) establish and operate a clearinghouse 
to disseminate the results of the research. 
(2) ANNUAL
REVIEW
AND
EVALUATION.—At 
least annually, the Administrator shall review and 
evaluate the activities and programs that grant re-
cipients carry out through the use of grants made to 
such recipients under this section. 
(3) FUNDING LIMITATION.—The Administrator 
may not use more than one percent of the amounts 
made available to carry out this section for a fiscal 
year to carry out management and oversight of the 
centers established through grants made under this 
section. 
(g) FUNDING.—The Administrator shall carry out 
this section using funds appropriated out of the Water 
Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund that are allo-
cated for that purpose under section 103. 
(h) LIMITATION
ON AVAILABILITY
OF FUNDS.— 
Funds made available to carry out this section shall re-
main available for obligation by the Administrator for a 
period of 2 years after the last day of the fiscal year for 
which the funds are authorized. 
SEC. 307. COST OF SERVICE STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
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enter an arrangement with the Academy under which the 
Academy shall complete and provide to the Administrator 
the results of a study of the means by which public water 
systems selected by the Academy in accordance with sub-
section (c) meet the costs associated with operations, 
maintenance, capital replacement, and regulatory require-
ments. In addition, the study shall be conducted for the 
purposes set forth in subsection (b). 
(b) REQUIRED ELEMENTS.— 
(1) AFFORDABILITY.—The purposes of the 
study shall be, at a minimum, to— 
(A) determine whether the rates at public 
treatment works for communities included in 
the study are using a full-cost pricing model; 
(B) identify, if a full-cost pricing model is 
not being used, any incentive rate systems that 
have been successful in significantly reducing— 
(i) the volume of wastewater flows; 
(ii) the volume of stormwater runoff; 
or 
(iii) the quantity of pollution gen-
erated by stormwater; 
(C) identify a set of best industry practices 
that public treatment works may use in estab-
lishing a rate structure that— 
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(i) adequately addresses the true cost 
of services provided to consumers by public 
treatment works, including infrastructure 
replacement; 
(ii) encourages water conservation; 
and 
(iii) takes into consideration the needs 
of disadvantaged individuals and commu-
nities, as identified by the Administrator; 
(D) identify existing standards for afford-
ability and the manner in which those stand-
ards are determined and defined; 
(E) determine the manner in which afford-
ability varies with respect to communities of 
different sizes and in different regions; and 
(F) determine the extent to which afford-
ability affects the decision of a community to 
increase public treatment works rates (including 
the decision relating to the percentage by which 
those rates should be increased). 
(2) DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES.—In addi-
tion, the purposes of the study shall be, at a min-
imum, to— 
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(A) survey a cross-section of States rep-
resenting different sizes, demographics, and 
geographical regions; 
(B) review other means of identifying the 
meaning of the term ‘‘disadvantaged’’, as that 
term applies to communities; 
(C) determine which factors and character-
istics are required for a community to be con-
sidered ‘‘disadvantaged’’; and 
(D) evaluate the degree to which factors 
such as a reduction in the tax base over a pe-
riod of time, a reduction in population, the loss 
of an industrial base, and the existence of areas 
of concentrated poverty are taken into account 
in determining whether a community is a dis-
advantaged community. 
(c) SELECTION
OF COMMUNITIES.—The Academy 
shall select the public water systems and treatment works 
for the study under subsection (a) from a cross-section 
of communities representing various populations, income 
levels, demographics, and geographical regions. 
(d) FUNDING.—The Administrator shall carry out 
this section using funds appropriated out of the Water 
Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund that are allo-
cated for that purpose under section 103. 
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SEC. 308. DRUG TAKE-BACK GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall es-
tablish a competitive grant program to make grants to 
local and State organizations, tribes, nonprofit entities, 
and other government entities to reduce discharges of 
harmful pollutants into navigable waters through the im-
plementation of programs— 
(1) to take back prescription and over-the- 
counter drugs from the public; and 
(2) to dispose of the drugs in an environ-
mentally sound manner. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi-
nitions apply: 
(1) DRUG.—The term ‘‘drug’’— 
(A) has the meaning given to such term in 
section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321); and 
(B) includes a biological product, as de-
fined in section 351 of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act (42 U.S.C. 262). 
(2) OVER-THE-COUNTER.—The term ‘‘over-the- 
counter’’, with respect to a drug, means not subject 
to section 503(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 353(b)(1)). 
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(3) PRESCRIPTION.—The term ‘‘prescription’’, 
with respect to a drug, means subject to section 
503(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 
Act (21 U.S.C. 353(b)(1)). 
(c) FUNDING.—The Administrator shall carry out 
this section using funds appropriated out of the Water 
Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund that are allo-
cated for that purpose under section 103. 
SEC. 309. PUBLIC EDUCATION. 
The Secretary of the Treasury shall work with inter-
ested stakeholders to establish a program to assist entities 
subject to the revenue provisions in subchapter E of chap-
ter 32 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as added 
by this Act) in informing the public about the clean water 
benefits associated with their contributions to the Water 
Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund. 
SEC. 310. STATE REVOLVING FUND REVIEW PROCESS. 
As soon as practicable after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator shall— 
(1) consult with States, utilities, nonprofit orga-
nizations, and other Federal agencies providing fi-
nancial assistance to identify ways to expedite and 
improve the application and review process for the 
provision of assistance from the State water pollu-
tion control revolving funds established under title 
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