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Summary:
In the 108th Congress, key drinking water issues include water infrastructure funding and drinking water problems caused by specific contaminants, such as the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and perchlorate. Congress last reauthorized the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1996, and although funding authority for most SDWA programs expires in FY2003, broad reauthorization efforts are not expected as EPA, states, and water utilities continue implementing the 1996 amendments. The 108th Congress has renewed efforts to address drinking water contamination by MTBE. Both the House and the Senate have passed bills that authorize appropriations from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Trust Fund to remediate MTBE contamination. The bills include the House and Senate versions of H.R. 6, the comprehensive energy bills, and S. 195, a bill focused on underground storage tank leak prevention and cleanup. Concerns over the security of the nation's drinking water supplies were addressed by the 107th Congress through the Bioterrorism Preparedness Act (P.L. 107-188), which amended SDWA to require community water systems to conduct vulnerability assessments and prepare emergency response plans. The 108th Congress remains interested in this issue, particularly through the oversight and funding of water security improvement efforts. A continuing drinking water issue concerns the availability of funding for infrastructure projects needed by public water systems to comply with SDWA standards and to meet other needs. Congress authorized a drinking water state revolving fund (DWSRF) program in 1996 to help communities finance projects needed to comply with SDWA standards. However, studies suggest that a significant funding gap exists and will continue to grow as SDWA requirements increase and infrastructure ages. During the past Congress, concern over the cost of drinking water standards blended into the larger debate over the federal role in assisting communities with financing drinking water infrastructure an issue that has become more challenging for Congress in a time of tightened budgets. Legislation to increase funding authority for water infrastructure programs has been under discussion. However, in light of funding constraints and large estimated needs, authorizing committees also have been exploring alternative options for financing water infrastructure projects as a means of helping communities address a wide array of infrastructure needs. A related issue concerns the financial, technical, and managerial capacity of small water systems to comply with the growing number of complex SDWA regulations. In the 107th Congress, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee reported a water infrastructure bill that addressed funding and capacity development issues and included a grant program for small systems. Similar legislation has been under discussion again in the 108th Congress. In the Senate, S. 1432 has been introduced to authorize a grant program to help small communities comply with drinking water standards.
