(10) given uncertainties about specific climate 
changes in particular areas, drinking water utilities 
need to prepare for a wider range of likely possibili-
ties in managing and delivery of water. 
SEC. 3. RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE 
ON DRINKING WATER UTILITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency, in cooperation with the Sec-
retary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, and the Sec-
retary of the Interior, shall establish and provide funding 
for a program of directed and applied research, to be con-
ducted through a nonprofit drinking water research foun-
dation and sponsored by water utilities, to assist the utili-
ties in adapting to the effects of climate change. 
(b) RESEARCH AREAS.—The research conducted in 
accordance with subsection (a) shall include research 
into— 
(1) water quality impacts and solutions, includ-
ing research— 
(A) to address probable impacts on raw 
water quality resulting from— 
(i) erosion and turbidity from extreme 
precipitation events; 
(ii) watershed vegetation changes; and 
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(iii) increasing ranges of pathogens, 
algae, and nuisance organisms resulting 
from warmer temperatures; and 
(B) on mitigating increasing damage to 
watersheds and water quality by evaluating ex-
treme events, such as wildfires and hurricanes, 
to learn and develop management approaches to 
mitigate— 
(i) permanent watershed damage; 
(ii) quality and yield impacts on 
source waters; and 
(iii) increased costs of water treat-
ment; 
(2) impacts on groundwater supplies from car-
bon sequestration, including research to evaluate po-
tential water quality consequences of carbon seques-
tration in various regional aquifers, soil conditions, 
and mineral deposits; 
(3) water quantity impacts and solutions, in-
cluding research— 
(A) to evaluate climate change impacts on 
water resources throughout hydrological basins 
of the United States; 
(B) to improve the accuracy and resolution 
of climate change models at a regional level; 
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(C) to identify and explore options for in-
creasing conjunctive use of aboveground and 
underground storage of water; and 
(D) to optimize operation of existing and 
new reservoirs in diminished and erratic periods 
of precipitation and runoff; 
(4) infrastructure impacts and solutions for 
water treatment and wastewater treatment facilities 
and underground pipelines, including research— 
(A) to evaluate and mitigate the impacts of 
sea level rise on— 
(i) near-shore facilities; 
(ii) soil drying and subsidence; 
(iii) reduced flows in water and waste-
water pipelines; and 
(iv) extreme flows in wastewater sys-
tems; and 
(B) on ways of increasing the resilience of 
existing infrastructure, planning cost-effective 
responses to adapt to climate change, and de-
veloping new design standards for future infra-
structure that include the use of energy con-
servation measures and renewable energy in 
new construction to the maximum extent prac-
ticable; 
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(5) desalination, water reuse, and alternative 
supply technologies, including research— 
(A) to improve and optimize existing mem-
brane technologies, and to identify and develop 
breakthrough technologies, to enable the use of 
seawater, brackish groundwater, treated waste-
water, and other impaired sources; 
(B) into new sources of water through 
more cost-effective water treatment practices in 
recycling and desalination; and 
(C) to improve technologies for use in— 
(i) managing and minimizing the vol-
ume of desalination and reuse concentrate 
streams; and 
(ii) minimizing the environmental im-
pacts of seawater intake at desalination fa-
cilities; 
(6) energy efficiency and greenhouse gas mini-
mization, including research— 
(A) on optimizing the energy efficiency of 
water supply and wastewater operations and 
improving water efficiency in energy production 
and management; and 
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(B) to identify and develop renewable, car-
bon-neutral energy options for the water supply 
and wastewater industry; 
(7) regional and hydrological basin cooperative 
water management solutions, including research 
into— 
(A) institutional mechanisms for greater 
regional cooperation and use of water ex-
changes, banking, and transfers; and 
(B) the economic benefits of sharing risks 
of shortage across wider areas; 
(8) utility management, decision support sys-
tems, and water management models, including re-
search— 
(A) into improved decision support systems 
and modeling tools for use by water utility 
managers to assist with increased water supply 
uncertainty and adaptation strategies posed by 
climate change; 
(B) to provide financial tools, including 
new rate structures, to manage financial re-
sources and investments, because increased con-
servation practices may diminish revenue and 
increase investments in infrastructure; and 
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(C) to develop improved systems and mod-
els for use in evaluating— 
(i) successful alternative methods for 
conservation and demand management; 
and 
(ii) 
climate 
change 
impacts 
on 
groundwater resources; 
(9) reducing greenhouse gas emissions and im-
proving energy demand management, including re-
search to improve energy efficiency in water collec-
tion, production, transmission, treatment, distribu-
tion, and disposal to provide more sustainability and 
means to assist drinking water utilities in reducing 
the production of greenhouse gas emissions in the 
collection, production, transmission, treatment, dis-
tribution, and disposal of drinking water; 
(10) water conservation and demand manage-
ment, including research— 
(A) to develop strategic approaches to 
water demand management that offer the low-
est-cost, noninfrastructural options to serve 
growing populations or manage declining sup-
plies, primarily through— 
(i) efficiencies in water use and re-
allocation of the saved water; 
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(ii) to gain public recognition and ac-
ceptance of increased costs; and 
(C) to create and maintain a clearinghouse 
of climate change information for water utili-
ties, academic researchers, stakeholders, gov-
ernment agencies, and research organizations. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2020. 
Æ 
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