(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 water research foundation and 
sponsored by drinking water utilities, to assist suppliers 
of drinking water 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 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; and 
(iii) reduced flows in water and waste-
water pipelines; and 
(B) on ways of increasing the resilience of 
existing infrastructure and development of new 
design standards for future infrastructure; 
(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; 
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(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 improving water efficiency in 
energy production; and 
(B) to identify and develop renewable, car-
bon-neutral energy options for the water supply 
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 
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(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 
(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 en-
ergy demand management, including research to im-
prove energy efficiency in water collection, produc-
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tion, transmission, treatment, distribution, and dis-
posal to provide more sustainability and means to 
assist drinking water utilities in reducing the pro-
duction of greenhouse gas emissions in the collec-
tion, production, transmission, treatment, distribu-
tion, 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; 
(ii) demand management tools; 
(iii) economic incentives; and 
(iv) water-saving technologies; and 
(B) into efficiencies in water management 
through integrated water resource management 
that incorporates— 
(i) supply-side and demand-side proc-
esses; 
(ii) continuous adaptive management; 
and 
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