123STA T . 13 4 2 PUBLIC LA W 111 – 11 —M A R .3 0, 200 9(B)invest i ga te ,d eve lop , andi m plement ne w met h- odologies and te c hnologies to estimate o r meas u re ground- water recharge, discharge, and storage in a more cost- e f ficient manner . ( 5 ) FED E RALSH ARE. —T he Federal share of the monitoring program descri b ed in paragraph ( 1 )ma y be1 0 0 percent of the cost of carrying out the monitoring program. ( 6 ) P R IO RI TY .— I n selecting monitoring activities consistent with the monitoring program described in paragraph (1), the S ecretary shall give priority to those activities for which a State or local governmental entity agrees to provide for a substantial share of the cost of establishing or operating a monitoring well or other measuring device to carry out a moni- toring activity. ( 7 ) AU THORI Z ATIO N O F A P PROPRIATIONS.—There are author- i z ed to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this subsection for the period of fiscal years 2 00 9 through 202 3 , to remain available until e x pended. (c) BRA CK ISH G ROUND W ATER ASSESS M ENT.— (1) STUDY.—The Secretary, in consultation with State and local water resource agencies, shall conduct a study of available data and other relevant information— (A) to identify significant brac k ish groundwater resources located in the U nited States
and (B) to consolidate any available data relating to each groundwater resource identified under subparagraph (A). (2) R EPORT.— N ot later than 2 years after the date of enact- ment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of C ongress a report that includes— (A) a description of each— (i) significant brackish a q uifer that is located in the United States (including 1 or more maps of each significant brackish aquifer that is located in the United States); (ii) data gap that is required to be addressed to fully characterize each brackish aquifer described in clause (i); and (iii) current use of brackish groundwater that is supplied by each brackish aquifer described in clause (i); and (B) a summary of the information available as of the date of enactment of this Act with respect to each brackish aquifer described in subparagraph (A)(i) (including the known level of total dissolved solids in each brackish aquifer). (3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is author- ized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $ 3,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2009 through 2011, to remain available until expended. (d) IMPRO V ED W ATER E STIMATION, M EASUREMENT, AND MONI- TORIN G TECHNOLOGIES.— (1) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY.—The Secretary may provide grants on a nonreimbursable basis to appropriate entities with expertise in water resource data acquisition and reporting, including Federal agencies, the Water Resources Research Institutes and other academic institutions, and private entities, to—
