Desalination Reauthorization Act

What it does

• •Extends authorization for desalination programs under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act and the Water Desalination Act of 1996, with projects under the Water Desalination Act expiring 15 years after enactment.
• •Allows the Secretary to fund up to 25 percent of eligible desalination project costs without a dollar cap, provided projects are located in or primarily benefit Reclamation States and include state, tribal, or local public sponsorship of at least 25 percent of planning, design, and construction costs.
• •Establishes a competitive grant program for advanced pilot desalination technologies and first-of-a-kind systems to validate innovations in converting saline, brackish, seawater, or wastewater into usable water and managing brine discharge.
• •Requires technoeconomic analyses for all advanced pilot systems to estimate the levelized cost of water production at full scale.

Why it matters

• •Reauthorizes federal support for desalination infrastructure in water-stressed regions, addressing long-term water supply challenges in Reclamation States.
• •Removes federal cost caps and establishes competitive grant funding to accelerate development and testing of desalination technologies that reduce costs and environmental impacts.
• •Aligns federal investment with state and local cost-sharing to leverage public resources and ensure projects meet reclamation law requirements for federal benefit.

Who is affected

• •Reclamation States and entities with water delivery authority (states, Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and public agencies) pursuing desalination projects.
• •Research institutions and technology developers competing for grants to develop and pilot advanced desalination systems.
• •Federal and state governments sharing funding responsibility for desalination infrastructure and research.

What happens next

The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and awaits further legislative action.