NGWA applauds the introduction of The Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act, or The Healthy H2O Act, by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) to provide grants for water testing and treatment technology to individuals, nonprofits, and local governments in rural communities.
The Healthy H2O Act, which was introduced on April 26, would provide grants for water quality testing and the purchase and installation of point-of-use or point-of-entry water quality improvement systems that remove or significantly reduce contaminants from drinking water. The grants would be provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture directly to individuals and to nonprofits or local governments to help people go through the process of testing and then finding and installing a water treatment product to address their situation.
“Private water wells and decentralized systems are a cornerstone of water access in rural America,” NGWA CEO Terry Morse, CAE, CIC, said. “Those who rely on these systems are too often left out of the policy conversation in Washington, D.C.
“By increasing access to safe and clean water in our rural communities, The Healthy H2O Act will provide much needed assistance to people who may struggle to provide this basic need for themselves and their families. We applaud Senator Baldwin for her efforts and look forward to working with Congress to pass this important bill.”
A one-page document summarizing the legislation can be found here.