§ 2357 — Managed Aquifer Recharge Study And Working Group

(1) The Secretary shall, in consultation with applicable non-Federal interests, conduct a national assessment of carrying out managed aquifer recharge projects to address drought, water resiliency, and aquifer depletion at authorized water resources development projects. (2) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— (A) assess and identify opportunities to support non-Federal interests, including Tribal communities, in carrying out managed aquifer recharge projects; and (B) assess preliminarily local hydrogeologic conditions relevant to carrying out managed aquifer recharge projects. (3) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall coordinate, as appropriate, with the heads of other Federal agencies, States, regional governmental agencies, units of local government, experts in managed aquifer recharge, and Tribes. (1) The Secretary is authorized to carry out feasibility studies, at the request of a non-Federal interest, of managed aquifer recharge projects in areas that are experiencing, or have recently experienced, prolonged drought conditions, aquifer depletion, or water supply scarcity. (2) The Secretary may carry out not more than 10 feasibility studies under this subsection. (3) The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, use information gathered from the assessment conducted under subsection (a) in identifying and selecting feasibility studies to carry out under this subsection. (4) The Federal share of the cost of a feasibility study carried out under this subsection shall be 90 percent. (1) Not later than 180 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary shall establish a managed aquifer recharge working group made up of subject matter experts within the Corps of Engineers and relevant non-Federal stakeholders. (2) In establishing the working group under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that members of the working group have expertise working with— (A) projects providing water supply storage to meet regional water supply demand, particularly in regions experiencing drought; (B) the protection of groundwater supply, including promoting infiltration and increased recharge in groundwater basins, and groundwater quality; (C) aquifer storage, recharge, and recovery wells; (D) dams that provide recharge enhancement benefits; (E) groundwater hydrology; (F) conjunctive use water systems; and (G) agricultural water resources, including the use of aquifers for irrigation purposes. (3) The working group established under this subsection shall— (A) advise the Secretary regarding the development and execution of the assessment under subsection (a) and any feasibility studies under subsection (b); (B) assist Corps of Engineers offices at the headquarter, division, and district levels with raising awareness of non-Federal interests of the potential benefits of carrying out managed aquifer recharge projects; and (C) assist with the development of the report required to be submitted under subsection (d). (d) Not later than 2 years after December 23, 2022, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report on managed aquifer recharge that includes— (1) the results of the assessment conducted under subsection (a) and any feasibility studies carried out under subsection (b), including data collected under such assessment and studies and any recommendations on managed aquifer recharge opportunities for non-Federal interests, States, local governments, and Tribes; (2) a status update on the implementation of the recommendations included in the report of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources entitled “Managed Aquifer Recharge and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Water Security through Resilience”, published in April 2020 (2020–WP–01); and (3) an evaluation of the benefits of creating a new or modifying an existing planning center of expertise for managed aquifer recharge, and identify potential locations for such a center of expertise, if feasible. (e) Nothing in this section affects the non-Federal share of the cost of construction of a managed aquifer recharge project under section 2213 of this title or any other provision of law. (f) In this section: (1) The term “managed aquifer recharge” means the intentional banking and treatment of water in aquifers for storage and future use. (2) The term “managed aquifer recharge project” means a project to incorporate managed aquifer recharge features into a water resources development project.