The department either independently or in cooperation with any county, state, federal, or public or private agency or corporation may conduct a program of investigation, study, and evaluation in the field of saline water conversion.

The department shall provide assistance to persons or entities with state and local desalination facility permit applications seeking to construct desalination facilities for reducing the concentration of dissolved solids in brackish groundwater or seawater in the state.

After submission of a written report and upon specific authorization by the Legislature the department either independently or in cooperation with any county, state, federal, or public or private agency or corporation may finance, construct, and operate saline water conversion facilities. The department may sell any water made available by such saline water conversion facilities. Unless otherwise provided by the Legislature, the department shall establish rates or charges for such water so as to recover all of the costs of making such water available.

The department, in cooperation with the United States Department of the Interior, may participate in financing the costs of the site development, construction, operation, and transportation of desalted water in connection with a saline water conversion test center facility to be located in California. The department may sell any water made available by such saline water conversion test center; provided, that the department shall sell such water at rates or charges which will return, at least, all of the costs of transporting the water from the test center to the point of delivery.