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    • posted on 21 Jan 20
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    America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 debriefed

    America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (S. 3021, Pub.L. 115–270) is a United States federal law that provides for water infrastructure improvements throughout the country in the areas of:
    • flood control
    • navigable waterways
    • water resources development
    • maintenance and repair of dams and reservoirs
    • ecosystem restoration
    • public water systems (1)
    • financing of improvements
    • hydropower development
    • technical assistance to small communities.

    Much of the bill revolves around the Corps of Engineers. The law also reauthorizes the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 (WIFIA) which provides expanded financial assistance to communities under the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.

    In terms of Water Resources Infrastructure and Drinking Water System Improvement – excerpts that may affect water managers include:

    (Sec. 1401) The bill authorizes specified water resource projects in Arkansas, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, California, Hawaii, New York, Florida, and New Mexico. The bill also authorizes project modifications for previously authorized projects in Georgia, Michigan, and Tennessee.

    (Sec. 2001) The EPA must implement a program for connecting, expanding, or repairing existing public water systems that are on Indian reservations in the Upper Missouri River Basin or the Upper Rio Grande Basin.

    (Sec. 2002) The Safe Drinking Water Act is amended to authorize states to use their drinking water state revolving funds (SRFs) to protect certain source water areas.

    (Sec. 2003) The EPA must study and report on intractable water systems (small drinking water systems with a history of significant noncompliance with such Act) and barriers to delivery of potable water to individuals served by such systems.

    (Sec. 2005) The EPA may issue grants to assist: (1) underserved communities with contaminated drinking water, and (2) water systems with programs or projects that increase the resilience of drinking water infrastructure to natural hazards.

    (Sec. 2006) The EPA must provide grants to: (1) address lead contamination in drinking water at schools and child care programs; and (2) accelerate the development and deployment of innovative water technologies that address pressing drinking water supply, quality, treatment, or security challenges.

    (Sec. 2008) The bill expands requirements concerning consumer confidence reports issued by community water systems.

    (Sec. 2010) The EPA or a state with primary enforcement authority responsibility under the Act may require the owners or operators of certain public water systems that have repeatedly violated national primary drinking water regulations to consolidate or transfer ownership.

    (Sec. 2011) The EPA must develop a strategic plan for improving the accuracy and availability of compliance monitoring data.

    (Sec. 2012) Within five years and every five years thereafter, the EPA must review and update educational materials concerning best practices for asset management strategies that may be used by public water systems.

    (Sec. 2013) The bill expands risk assessment requirements for community water systems to include risks from natural hazards and creates a grant program within the EPA called the Drinking Water Infrastructure Risk and Resilience Program.

    (Sec. 2014) The bill: (1) reauthorizes through FY2021 the public water system supervision grant program and the source water petition program, and (2) reauthorizes through FY2021 and revises the drinking water SRFs.

    (Sec. 2017) The EPA must review and report to the public on existing and potential methods, means, equipment, and technologies for the treatment and distribution of drinking water.

    (Sec. 2018) The Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 is amended to ensure that states and community water systems are notified of a release of a contaminant into their source waters.

    (Sec. 2019) The GAO must study and report on demonstrations of compliance with a state or local environmental law that may be substantially equivalent to demonstrations required by the EPA for compliance with a cross-cutting requirement (i.e., a requirement that is a condition for obtaining loan or loan guarantee under the Safe Drinking Water Act).

    (Sec. 2020) The bill authorizes additional grants for SRFs in order to aid certain community water systems that were affected by natural disasters after January 1, 2017.

    (Sec. 2021) The bill: (1) expands requirements for public water systems to monitor unregulated containments, and (2) extends through FY2023 a requirement that water system projects financed through a drinking water SRF program only use iron and steel products that are produced in the United States.

    (Sec. 2023) The bill reauthorizes through FY2021 and revises the drinking water SRF.

    The entire bill can be read here:

    https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/3021/text

    (1) The US Safe Drinking Water Act and derivative legislation define “public water system” as an entity that provides “water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances to at least 15 service connections or serves an average of at least 25 people for at least 60 days a year.”

    Over 286 million Americans get their tap water from a community water system. Eight percent of the community water systems—large municipal water systems—provide water to 82 percent of the US population.

    Source: United States Government

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_Water_Infrastructure_Act_of_2018

    Source: Wikipedia

    https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/index.html

    Source: CDC

    https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/3021

    Source: United States Government

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