I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6113 
To establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency–Water, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 5, 2020 
Mr. KATKO (for himself and Mr. KILDEE) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency–Water, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘ARPA–H20 Act of 
2020’’. 
SEC. 2. ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY–WATER. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 
the Environmental Protection Agency the Advanced Re-
search Projects Agency–Water, headed by a Director, who 
shall be appointed by the Administrator to carry out pro-
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grams to provide funds to eligible entities for projects in-
tended to enhance, through the deployment of advanced 
technologies, the treatment, monitoring, delivery, afford-
ability, and safety of— 
(1) drinking water provided by a water system; 
(2) wastewater or stormwater discharged by a 
water system; 
(3) groundwater or well water used for drinking 
water; or 
(4) any other activities carried out by a water 
system for the purposes of enhancing public health 
or environmental safety. 
(b) PROGRAMS.—ARPA–H20 shall be comprised of 
programs that— 
(1) provide funds for projects described in sub-
section (a), as determined appropriate by the Direc-
tor; and 
(2) are carried out and overseen by program 
managers under subsection (e). 
(c) RESEARCH ADVISORY COUNCIL.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall establish 
a research advisory council to recommend the con-
tent of the programs under ARPA–H20, including 
annual research priorities for funding consideration. 
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(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The council established 
under paragraph (1) shall be composed of 12 mem-
bers appointed by the Director who represent— 
(A) public and private water systems in-
cluding large decentralized systems; 
(B) academia; 
(C) national nonprofits and organizations 
that represent the water sector and collaborate 
with the Agency; 
(D) public or private entities engaged in 
technology development, deployment, or con-
sultation to enhance delivery, reliability, afford-
ability, and safety of the operations of water 
systems; and 
(E) relevant Federal agencies. 
(d) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DIRECTOR.—The Di-
rector shall— 
(1) approve each grant, contract, cooperative 
agreement, cash prize, or other transaction to fund 
projects under this Act; 
(2) terminate funding for any project under 
this Act that does not meet the goals of the program 
through which such project was funded; 
(3) ensure that projects funded under this Act 
are not duplicative of other Federal research 
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projects that enhance the delivery, reliability, afford-
ability, and safety of the operations of water sys-
tems; 
(4) coordinate with non-governmental entities 
for demonstration of technologies and research ap-
plications to facilitate technology transfer; 
(5) establish research and development goals to 
carry out this Act; 
(6) set criteria for funding and assessment of 
projects under this Act in addition to the criteria es-
tablished in section 3(c); and 
(7) provide funds through any funding mecha-
nism that the Director determines appropriate to eli-
gible entities to carry out this Act. 
(e) PROGRAM MANAGERS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall designate 
managers to carry out the programs established 
under subsection (b). 
(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—A program manager 
shall— 
(A) establish research and development 
goals for the program, including by convening 
workshops, conferring with outside experts, and 
publicizing the goals of the program to public 
and private sector entities; 
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(B) solicit applications for projects in spe-
cific areas of particular promise, especially 
areas that the private sector or the Federal 
Government are not likely to undertake alone; 
(C) build research collaborations to carry 
out the program; and 
(D) establish a selection process under the 
program based upon criteria established in sec-
tion 3(c). 
(3) TERM.—The term of a program manager 
shall be not more than 5 years and such term may 
be renewed by the Director. 
SEC. 3. SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS OF FUNDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out a program under 
this Act, the program manager shall select projects de-
scribed in subsection (b) to receive funds under the pro-
gram. 
(b) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—Projects related to the 
following shall be eligible for funding under a program: 
(1) Advanced technologies for— 
(A) the security and materials of water 
systems; or 
(B) the testing, monitoring, conveyance, 
distribution, and treatment of— 
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(i) drinking water provided by a water 
system; or 
(ii) wastewater or stormwater dis-
charged by a water system. 
(2) Water technologies that may improve effi-
ciency and resiliency of water systems, lower life- 
cycle costs or reduce energy consumption of water 
systems treatment and conveyance. 
(3) Methods to detect, monitor, and address 
contaminants present in drinking water or waste-
water. 
(4) Methods to advance nutrient management 
for source water protection. 
(5) Resource recovery of marketable products 
derived from water systems including, but not lim-
ited to, nutrient, biosolids, energy, metals, and recy-
cled water. 
(6) Advancements in beneficial reuse and de-
salination that support the diversification of water 
supplies. 
(7) Approaches to mitigation, containment, and 
treatment of stormwater. 
(8) Methods to test, treat, and study the im-
pacts of emerging contaminants. 
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(9) Any other activities carried out by a water 
system for the purposes of enhancing public health 
or environmental safety. 
(c) CRITERIA.—A program manager shall select a 
project to receive funds under the program based on the 
demonstration of the applicant of— 
(1) the scientific and technical merit of the pro-
posed project; 
(2) transformative technological potential; 
(3) the potential for cost effective technology 
applications; 
(4) the capabilities of the applicants to success-
fully carry out the proposed project; 
(5) the consideration of future commercial ap-
plications of the project, including the feasibility of 
partnering with one or more water sector entities; 
(6) the potential of the applicant to use funds 
from non-Federal sources in addition to the funds 
made available under this Act; and 
(7) any other criteria considered appropriate by 
the Director. 
SEC. 4. TERMINATION; REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) TERMINATION.—The authority to carry out this 
Act shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the 
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date on which the first funds are appropriated for ARPA– 
H20. 
(b) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 
years after the date on which funds are first appro-
priated to carry out this Act, the Director shall sub-
mit to Congress a report with a detailed list of each 
project funded under the new ARPA–H20 program 
and a description of the technological achievements 
and progress made by the project. 
(2) TRANSPARENCY.—The Director shall pub-
lish on a publicly available website a description of 
each project that receives funds under this Act, in-
cluding— 
(A) the name of the entity that received 
such funds; and 
(B) the amount of funds that such entity 
received. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act, the following definitions apply: 
(1) 
ARPA–H20.—The 
term 
‘‘ARPA–H20’’ 
means the Advanced Research Projects Agency– 
Water established in subsection (a). 
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(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of ARPA–H20 appointed in subsection 
(a). 
(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means the following: 
(A) Nonprofit research organizations. 
(B) Academic institutions. 
(C) Private sector entities. 
(D) Water systems. 
(E) National labs. 
(F) Federally funded research and develop-
ment centers. 
(G) Research consortia that consist of enti-
ties in industries that the Director determines 
relevant to the program under this Act. 
(4) WATER SYSTEMS.—The term ‘‘water sys-
tem’’ means an entity that— 
(A) serves the public; 
(B) manages the supply, treatment, or con-
veyance of— 
(i) drinking water; 
(ii) wastewater and water resource re-
covery; 
(iii) stormwater; or 
(iv) water reuse; and 
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(C) large decentralized systems that pro-
vide treatment for two or more households. 
Æ 
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