Final week, Rep. John Duarte (R – Modesto) launched the bipartisan Water Infrastructure Modernization Act to create federal grant packages geared toward growing using good water applied sciences. 

Duarte teamed up with Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego to creator the invoice. 

The massive image: The Water Infrastructure Modernization Act would supply $50 million in new EPA funding for grants which water utilities can use to buy and implement new know-how. 

• Such know-how consists of figuring out water loss, analyzing pipe integrity, detecting leaks, getting ready for extreme climate and innovating water storage techniques, amongst others. 

• The grants can be dished out in two packages over a five-year interval. 

By the numbers: In accordance with the Environmental Safety Company, getting old and outdated infrastructure results in the lack of 2.1 trillion gallons of handled consuming water and 900 billion gallons of untreated sewage nationwide yearly. 

• These infrastructure points served because the driving pressure behind Duarte and Gallego creating the invoice. 

Go deeper: The grant packages would put aside 20 p.c of the funds for communities which have a most of 10,000 individuals. One other 10 p.c can be put aside for Tribal communities. 

What they’re saying: “I feel it’s pretty low-impact enhancements that might yield an additional million acre ft of water for California, which is a giant deal,” Duarte stated. “At the moment, with the identical infrastructure we had in place 20 years in the past, we’re truly delivering 2.5 million acre ft much less water than we used to. So hopefully with the brand new know-how we will get again not less than nearer to the place we had been.” 

• Duarte stated he’s completely happy to cross the aisle and companion with Gallego on the invoice to work on “wise options to extend our water availability.” 
• “It’s $50 million,” Duarte stated. “It’s not going to construct completely new dams, however each in his district and my district we’ve bought a whole lot of infrastructure that simply must be upgraded. We have to apply some applied sciences. There’s a whole lot of move know-how, automated weirs that may enhance the effectivity.”