PHX Reporter

U.S. Sen. Martha McSally introduced a Water-Energy Technology Demonstration and Deployment Act, which would give local managers water-energy technology and establish the Western Water Resiliency Center.

"Whether it’s water reuse, recycling and desalination, better pumps, or some other technology, my bill will help get the advancements and expertise developed by DOE out of the lab and into the hands of water managers where they are needed now," McSally said during a U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power hearing, which can be watched here. "And doing that is a win all around – it will accelerate commercialization of technology, get a bigger bang for the buck from tax payer dollars being spent by DOE and Reclamation on these solutions and start producing additional water supplies needed by western communities."

The Western Water Resilience Center would also be established at one or more universities in the west, McSally said in a press release from her website. 

"As the universities in Arizona have shown, our academic institutions can drive innovation that will not only improve water security, but will also spur greater development of a water technology industry in the U.S., which will create jobs and economic growth for our country," she said during the hearing.

The Arizona Farm Bureau supports McSally's legislation, because it will help Arizona and other western states move toward modernizing water conservation. It will also help Arizona and other western states find new sources of water, according to the press release. 

“The Arizona agriculture community employs the most efficient water use methods to produce food and fiber on a national and global scale. Farmers and ranchers understand the critical importance of water, especially in the west, and employ every means possible to mitigate drought and conserve water," the Arizona Farm Bureau said in the press release. "The Arizona Farm Bureau applauds Sen. McSally’s leadership in water resilience and look forward to her legislative projects to ensure the water supply in the west.”

During the hearing, other bills in addition to McSally's were discussed, which help with water management. 

"Each of the bills today contain previsions that are important to western water management, but as we craft and review legislation, we must be careful to not intentionally or unintentionally put up additional regulatory roadblocks in front of much needed water storage or other supply projects," McSally said during the hearing. "When it comes to water, we need to resist efforts to drag us back into old conflicts or either-or games and focus on solutions the committee has shown can be developed by working constructively across lines."