Senate committee advances changes to federal desalination funding

The committee advanced a bill that would renew desalination grant authority and change eligibility, project funding limits and research support. Its substitute amendment includes raising the maximum federal desalination research grant for higher-education institutions to $2.5 million.

For local water utilities evaluating desalination, the bill could change the federal contribution available to eligible large projects and accommodate public-private delivery arrangements. Pilot funding could also support testing before commercial deployment, but committee passage alone does not make these changes available.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced the Desalination Reauthorization Act on October 1, moving proposed changes to federal water infrastructure support toward full Senate consideration. The bill would renew the Bureau of Reclamation’s desalination grant authority, which is scheduled to expire in 2026, and allow programmatic approval to include public-private partnerships. For utilities planning large facilities, it would prohibit administrative caps on individual projects, enabling eligible projects to receive the full 25% federal cost share. The legislation would also expand desalination and water purification research funding to cover pilots connecting laboratory work with commercial deployment. Sponsors cited OceanWell’s deep-ocean desalination testing with Las Virgenes Municipal Water District as an example. A committee amendment would increase the maximum research grant for higher-education institutions from $1 million to $2.5 million. These remain proposed funding changes, not enacted authority or awarded project funds.

Evidence supplied by WaterWorld.