“To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the pilot program for alternative water source projects, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section amends the Clean Water Act pilot grant program for alternative water source projects (i.e., those conserving, reclaiming, or reusing water, wastewater, or stormwater to meet critical supply needs identified in 20-year plans) by (1) defining “intelligent water infrastructure technology” to include real-time monitoring sensors, artificial intelligence optimization tools, advanced metering, leak detection systems, and related digital technologies for wastewater, stormwater, and water supply systems; (2) authorizing grant funds for engineering, design, construction, implementation, training, and operations related to such technologies (exempting those operations costs from the prohibition on funding planning, feasibility studies, operations, or maintenance); (3) requiring the EPA Administrator to submit to Congress, beginning 180 days after enactment and annually thereafter, reports describing grants awarded under the new provision, resulting resiliency improvements, recommendations for improvement, and—initially—denied grant applications and reasons for denial; and (4) doubling the authorization of appropriations to $50 million annually through 2028 (from $25 million through 2026).