Pub. L. 95-467, tit. I, sec. 101

Sec. 101. (a) The Secretary of the Interior (hereafter in this Act referred to as the “Secretary”) is hereby authorized and directed to assist in carrying on the work of a competent and qualified water resources research and technology institute, center, or equivalent agency (hereinafter referred to as “institute”) at one college or university in each State, which college or university shall be a college or university established in accordance with the Act approved July 2, 1862 (12 Stat. 503; 7 U.S.C. 301ff), entitled “An Act donating public lands to the several States and territories which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts” or some other institution designated by Act of the legislature of the State concerned: Provided, That (1) if there is more than one such college or university in a State established in accordance with said Act of July 2, 1862, funds under this section shall, in the absence of a designation to the contrary by act of the legislature of the State, be paid to the one such college or university designated by the Governor of the State to receive the same, subject to the Secretary’s determination that such college or university has, or may reasonably be expected to have the capability of doing effective work under this title; (2) two or more States may cooperate in the designation of a single institute or regional institute, in which event the sums assignable to all of the cooperating States shall be paid to such institute; (3) the designated State institute shall cooperate closely with other colleges and universities in the State with demonstrated research, information dissemination, and graduate training capabilities in developing a statewide program directed to resolving State and regional water and related land problems; and (4) the designated State institute shall cooperate closely with regional consortia, as may be designated by the Secretary, to increase the effectiveness of the nationwide network of institutes and for the purpose of regional coordination, particularly with river basin commissions and other interagency river basin organizations as may be established by the Congress. (b) (1) It shall be the duty of each such institute to plan and conduct and/or arrange for a component or components of the college or university with which it is affiliated or other qualified colleges or universities within the State, to conduct competent research and development including investigations and experiments of either a basic or practical nature, or both, in relation to water resources, to promote dissemination and application of the results of these efforts, and to provide for the training of scientists and engineers through such research, investigations, and experiments. 92 STAT. 1307 (2) The research, investigations, experiments, and training may include, without being limited to, aspects of the hydrologic cycle; supply and demand for water ; saline water conversion; conservation and best use of available supplies of water and methods of increasing such supplies; water reuse; and economic, legal, social, engineering, recreational, biological, geographic, ecological, and other aspects of water problems; scientific information dissemination activities, including identifying, assembling, and interpreting the results of scientific and engineering research on water resources problems; and providing means for improved communication of research results, having due regard for the varying conditions and needs for the respective States and regions, for water research and development projects now being conducted by agencies of the Federal and State governments, the agricultural and engineering experiment stations, and other university research centers and for the need to avoid undue displacement of scientists and engineers elsewhere engaged in water resources research and development. (3) The annual program submitted by the State institutes to the Secretary for approval shall include assurances satisfactory to the Secretary, that such programs were developed in close consultation and collaboration with leading water resources officials within the State and region to promote research, training, information dissemination and other work meeting the needs of the State. Additionally, it shall be the duty of each State institute to provide the Secretary with periodic information, at the Secretary’s discretion, on water resources research and development activities, needs, and priorities within the State which shall be coordinated with State, local, regional and river basin entities, and to cooperate with the Secretary in preparing periodic reports of ongoing research within the State and its funding by both Federal and non-Federal organizations. Institutes are required to see that notices of research projects are submitted to the center referred to under title III, section 302. (4) The designated State institutes shall cooperate with the Secretary in the development of five-year water resources research and development goals and objectives. (5) The designated institutes will receive comment on and transmit all research and development proposals from the academic community to the Secretary for consideration and funding. (c) There is further hereby authorized a program of technology transfer and/or information dissemination to be carried out by the State institutes. Such funds, as are appropriated for this purpose, shall be made available on a competitive basis to the State institutes, based on the merit of project or program proposals submitted to the Secretary, for the purpose of transferring research and development results to other organizations for further development, demonstration, and practical application.