S. 684
The Water Resources Research Act of 1983 authorizes the creation of water resources research and technology institutes at colleges or universities in each U.S. state, with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior. These institutes are responsible for conducting and coordinating research on water resources and collaborating with other institutions to address state and regional water issues. The Secretary is required to provide grants to these institutes, which must be matched by non-federal funds, and to evaluate the institutes regularly to ensure they merit continued support. The Act also allows for additional grants to other qualified institutions for water-related research and technology development deemed nationally important. The Act includes appropriations for the fiscal years 1985 through 1989 and repeals the Water Research and Development Act of 1978. Additionally, the Act directs the transfer of certain federal properties in North Carolina and New Mexico to local governments for desalinization research, with conditions on their use and potential reversion to federal ownership if misused.