WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet praised the House of Representatives for approving legislation to help rural communities across the nation gain better access to clean drinking water.
The Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Act, which passed the House on Tuesday, would allocate $15 million a year for the next six years for the treatment of community water sources. “This bill ensures that technical assistance and training is available to help these providers find the support they need and provide clean drinking water for Colorado families,” Bennet, D-Colo., said.
Bennet, along with Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., introduced the Senate version of the bill in June. It passed the Senate with a unanimous vote.
The bill reauthorizes the technical assistance and training provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act to help public water systems in rural communities comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking water standards. The current bill reauthorizes the program, which expired in 2004.
Rural communities historically have the most difficulty providing affordable public water resources because of economic and technical limitations. Most rural communities rely on federal and state grants and loans to maintain their water standards. The current bill will provide funding grants to help rural water systems meet the EPA’s water-quality standards.
According to data from the National Rural Water Association, more than 90 percent of the nation’s water systems serve communities of fewer than 10,000 people. Data from the Colorado Rural Water Association show the state alone has about 2,200 small rural water systems, over half of which have received assistance from this program in the past.
“In their efforts to provide clean drinking water to Coloradans, rural water providers often don’t have access to the tools and resources needed to comply with drinking water regulations,” Bennet said.
The bill now heads to the White House, where President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law.
