Sec. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF RESEARCH AND STUDIES
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## SEC. 3 AUTHORIZATION OF RESEARCH AND STUDIES ###
(a)In General In order to determine the most cost-effective and technologically efficient means by which usable water can be produced from saline water or water otherwise impaired or contaminated, the Secretary is authorized to award grants and to enter into contracts, to the extent provided in advance in appropriation Acts, to conduct, encourage, and assist in the financing of research to develop processes for converting saline water into water suitable for beneficial uses. Awards of research grants and contracts under this section shall be made on the basis of a competitive, merit-reviewed process. Research and study topics authorized by this section include— ####
(1)investigating desalination processes; ####
(2)ascertaining the optimum mix of investment and operating costs; ####
(3)determining the best designs for different conditions of operation; ####
(4)investigating methods of increasing the economic efficiency of desalination processes through dual-purpose co-facilities with other processes involving the use of water; ####
(5)conducting or contracting for technical work, including the design, construction, and testing of pilot systems and test beds, to develop desalting processes and concepts; ####
(6)studying methods for the recovery of byproducts resulting from desalination to offset the costs of treatment and to reduce environmental impacts from those byproducts; ####
(7)salinity modeling and toxicity analysis of brine discharges, cost reduction strategies for constructing and operating desalination facilities, and the horticultural effects of desalinated water used for irrigation; and ####
(8)development of metrics to analyze the costs and benefits of desalination relative to other sources of water (including costs and benefits related to associated infrastructure, energy use, environmental impacts, and diversification of water supplies); and ####
(9)development of design and siting specifications that avoid or minimize, adverse economic and environmental impacts. ###
(b)Project Recommendations and Reports to the Congress As soon as practicable and within three years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall recommend to Congress desalination demonstration projects or full-scale desalination projects to carry out the purposes of this Act and to further evaluate and implement the results of research and studies conducted under the authority of this section. Recommendations for projects shall be accompanied by reports on the engineering and economic feasibility of proposed projects and their environmental impacts. ###
(c)Authority To Engage Others In carrying out research and studies authorized in this section, the Secretary may engage the necessary personnel, industrial or engineering firms, Federal laboratories, water resources research and technology institutes, other facilities, and educational institutions suitable to conduct investigations and studies authorized under this section. ###
(d)Alternative Technologies In carrying out the purposes of this Act, the Secretary shall ensure that at least three separate technologies are evaluated and demonstrated for the purposes of accomplishing desalination. ###
(e)Prioritization In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall prioritize funding for research— ####
(1)to reduce energy consumption and lower the cost of desalination, including chloride control; ####
(2)to reduce the environmental impacts of seawater desalination and develop technology and strategies to minimize those impacts; ####
(3)to improve existing reverse osmosis and membrane technology; ####
(4)to carry out basic and applied research on next generation desalination technologies, including improved energy recovery systems and renewable energy-powered desalination systems that could significantly reduce desalination costs; ####
(5)to develop portable or modular desalination units capable of providing temporary emergency water supplies for domestic or military deployment purposes; and ####
(6)to develop and promote innovative desalination technologies, including chloride control, identified by the Secretary.