text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Climate Change Drinking Water 
  Adaptation Research Act.''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds that--
              (1) the consensus among climate scientists is overwhelming 
          that climate change is occurring more rapidly than can be 
          attributed to natural causes, and that significant impacts to 
          the water supply are already occurring;
              (2) among the first and most critical of those impacts will 
          be change to patterns of precipitation around the world, which 
          will affect water availability for the most basic drinking 
          water and domestic water needs of populations in many areas of 
          the United States;
              (3) drinking water utilities throughout the United States, 
          as well as those in Europe, Australia, and Asia, are concerned 
          that extended changes in precipitation will lead to extended 
          droughts;
              (4) supplying water is highly energy-intensive and will 
          become more so as climate change forces more utilities to turn 
          to alternative supplies;
              (5) energy production consumes a significant percentage of 
          the fresh water resources of the United States;
              (6) since 2003, the drinking water industry of the United 
          States has sponsored, through a nonprofit water research 
          foundation, various studies to assess the impacts of climate 
          change on drinking water supplies;
              (7) those studies demonstrate the need for a comprehensive 
          program of research into the full range of impacts on drinking 
          water utilities, including impacts on water supplies, 
          facilities, and customers;
              (8) that nonprofit water research foundation is also 
          coordinating internationally with other drinking water 
          utilities on shared research projects and has hosted 
          international workshops with counterpart European and Asian 
          water research organizations to develop a unified research 
          agenda for applied research on adaptive strategies to address 
          climate change impacts;
              (9) research data in existence as of the date of enactment 
          of this Act--
                      (A) summarize the best available scientific 
                  evidence on climate change;
                      (B) identify the implications of climate change for 
                  the water cycle and the availability and quality of 
                  water resources; and
                      (C) provide general guidance on planning and 
                  adaptation strategies for water utilities; and
              (10) given uncertainties about specific climate changes in 
          particular areas, drinking water utilities need to prepare for 
          a wider range of likely possibilities 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 Environmental Protection 
  Agency, in cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of 
  Energy, and the Secretary of the Interior, shall establish and provide 
  funding for a program of directed and applied research, to be conducted 
  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, including 
          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
                              (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 extreme 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 treatment;
              (2) impacts on groundwater supplies from carbon 
          sequestration, including research to evaluate potential water 
          quality consequences of carbon sequestration in various 
          regional aquifers, soil conditions, and mineral deposits;
              (3) water quantity impacts and solutions, including 
          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;
                      (C) to identify and explore options for increasing 
                  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 wastewater 
                          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 membrane 
                  technologies, and to identify and develop breakthrough 
                  technologies, to enable the use of seawater, brackish 
                  groundwater, treated wastewater, 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 volume of 
                          desalination and reuse concentrate streams; and
                              (ii) minimizing the environmental impacts 
                          of seawater intake at desalination facilities;
              (6) energy efficiency and greenhouse gas minimization, 
          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, carbon-
                  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 exchanges, banking, and 
                  transfers; and
                      (B) the economic benefits of sharing risks of 
                  shortage across wider areas;
              (8) utility management, decision support systems, and water 
          management models, including research--
                      (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 resources and 
                  investments, because increased conservation practices 
                  may diminish revenue and increase investments in 
                  infrastructure; and
                      (C) to develop improved systems and models 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 energy demand 
          management, including research to improve energy efficiency in 
          water collection, production, transmission, treatment, 
          distribution, 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, distribution, and disposal 
          of drinking water;
              (10) water conservation and demand management, including 
          research--
                      (A) to develop strategic approaches to water demand 
                  management that offer the lowest-cost, 
                  noninfrastructural options to serve growing populations 
                  or manage declining supplies, primarily through--
                              (i) efficiencies in water use and 
                          reallocation 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 processes;
                              (ii) continuous adaptive management; and
                              (iii) the inclusion of stakeholders in 
                          decisionmaking processes; and
              (11) communications, education, and public acceptance, 
          including research--
                      (A) into improved strategies and approaches for 
                  communicating with customers, decisionmakers, and other 
                  stakeholders about the implications of climate change 
                  on water supply; and
                      (B) to develop effective communication approaches 
                  to gain--
                              (i) public acceptance of alternative water 
                          supplies and new policies and practices, 
                          including conservation and demand management; 
                          and
                              (ii) public recognition and acceptance of 
                          increased costs.
      (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
  appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal 
  years 2009 through 2019.
target: Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and provide funding for a program of directed and applied research, to be conducted 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.
  
  Requires research areas to include: (1) water quality and quantity impacts and solutions; (2) impacts on groundwater supplies from carbon sequestration; (3) infrastructure impacts and solutions; (4) desalination, water reuse, and alternative supply technologies; (5) energy efficiency and greenhouse gas minimization; (6) regional and hydrological basin cooperative water management solutions; (7) utilities management, decision support systems, and water management models; (8) greenhouse gas emissions reduction and energy demand management; (9) water conservation and demand management; and (10) communications, education, and public acceptance.
feat_title: To enhance the ability of drinking water utilities in the United States to develop and implement climate change adaptation programs and policies, and for other purposes.