§2866a Risk-based Approach to Water Management and Water Security at Military Installations

Summary

The Secretary of Defense must use a risk-based plan to manage water and protect water supplies at every military installation. The Department must rank and focus first on bases with the biggest water risks and the greatest threats to mission readiness. To do that, the Defense Department and each military department must create a testing method to check water sources, supply connections, total water needs (including by tenant units and uses like drinking, cooling, irrigation/groundskeeping, wash water, and other industrial or agricultural uses), infrastructure age and leaks, water security threats (for example drought, falling supply, new demands, competition, or legal disputes), aquifer health and resilience, and current metering and use patterns. The testing method must say how often high-risk bases are reassessed and must be updated at least once every ten years. Each military department must pick its three bases with the highest water risk and write action plans that describe the risks, causes from inside and outside the base, meter plans, effects of future missions, needed infrastructure projects to stop leaks, and a cost‑benefit look at “no dig” fixes. The Department must also check if nonpotable water reuse (like recycling or rain capture) and water-saving tech or new-construction designs could help. Bases with high risk must use landscaping that saves water, especially in arid areas, using native or region-appropriate plants. Within 180 days the Secretary must brief the Armed Services committees with a ranked list and schedule for plans. Within one year and then yearly with the President’s budget, the Secretary must report progress, updated cost estimates for leak fixes, and any agreements or changes that affect a base’s water supply or demand. Prior accurate assessments done before the cited prior law do not have to be repeated.