Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-Calif.) this month introduced H.R. 745, the “Reauthorization of the Water Desalination Act of 1996,” which would fund federal research and development projects into desalination, the conversion of seawater into freshwater.
The bill would authorize $3 million per year for the desalination program through 2018. It is scheduled to expire on September 30 if not renewed by Congress before then.
According to Rep. Napolitano, the program has yielded advances in the disposal of saline wastewater, established uniform industry standards for common desalination components, funded “brackish” water projects to desalinate groundwater, discovered how to withdraw seawater from below the seafloor to minimize environmental damage, and developed reverse osmosis membrane pretreatment to improve desalination