Sec. 112. Managed aquifer recharge study and working group
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The Secretary shall, in consultation with applicable non-Federal interests, conduct a study at Federal expense to determine the feasibility of carrying out managed aquifer recharge projects to address drought, water resiliency, and aquifer depletion. In carrying out the study under this subsection, the Secretary shall— assess and identify opportunities to support non-Federal interests, including Tribal communities, in carrying out managed aquifer recharge projects; identify opportunities to carry out managed aquifer recharge projects in areas that are experiencing, or have recently experienced, prolonged drought conditions, aquifer depletion, or water supply scarcity; and assess preliminarily local hydrogeologic conditions relevant to carrying out managed aquifer recharge projects.
In carrying out the study under this subsection, the Secretary shall coordinate, as appropriate, with the heads of other Federal agencies, States, regional governmental agencies, units of local government, experts in managed aquifer recharge, and Tribes. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment, the Secretary shall establish a managed aquifer recharge working group within the Corps of Engineers. In establishing the working group under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that members of the working group have expertise working with— projects providing water supply storage to meet regional water supply demand, particularly in regions experiencing drought; protection of groundwater supply, including promoting infiltration and increased recharge in groundwater basins, and groundwater quality; aquifer storage, recharge, and recovery wells; dams that provide recharge enhancement benefits; groundwater hydrology; conjunctive use water systems; and agricultural water resources, including the use of aquifers for irrigation purposes.
The working group established under this subsection shall— advise and assist in the development and execution of the feasibility study under subsection (a); coordinate Corps of Engineers expertise on managed aquifer recharge; share Corps of Engineers-wide communications on the successes and failures, questions and answers, and conclusions and recommendations with respect to managed aquifer recharge projects; assist Corps of Engineers offices at the headquarter, division, and district levels with raising awareness to non-Federal interests on the potential benefits of carrying out managed aquifer recharge projects; and develop the report required to be submitted under subsection (c).
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report on managed aquifer recharge that includes— the results of the study conducted under subsection (a), including data collected under such study and any recommendations on managed aquifer recharge opportunities for non-Federal interests, States, local governments, and Tribes; a status update on the implementation of the recommendations included in the report of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources entitled Managed Aquifer Recharge and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Water Security through Resilience , published in April 2020 (2020–WP–01); and an evaluation of the benefits of creating a new or modifying an existing planning center of expertise for managed aquifer recharge, and identify potential locations for such a center of expertise, if feasible. In this section: The term managed aquifer recharge means the intentional banking and treatment of water in aquifers for storage and future use.
The term managed aquifer recharge project means a project to incorporate managed aquifer recharge features into a water resources development project.