The House of Representatives’ 2026 defense spending authorization bill includes several new provisions aimed at addressing PFAS contamination tied to military bases and operations. The legislation recently advanced out of the House Armed Services Committee and will now move forward for further debate.
A key provision would require the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide clean drinking water from an alternative source to households with private wells contaminated by PFAS due to military activities. Alternative supplies (such as bottled water) would be provided until a permanent solution is in place such as a connection to a public supply or a filtration system for the well.
The bill also directs the DOD to provide updated information to Congress on its PFAS remediation efforts in 2026, including:
- A detailed inventory of PFAS destruction, remediation, and disposal technologies currently in use or under consideration
- A report on collaborations with universities focused on PFAS detection and removal methods
- March 1, 2026: A briefing on PFAS contamination with a focus on U.S. military operations near Okinawa, Japan
- March 13, 2026: A briefing on PFAS presence and impacts on wildlife around U.S. military installations.
NGWA has long supported PFAS remediation funding in Defense Appropriations as well as providing filtration systems to those impacted by PFAS so they can continue safely using their private wells. The Association will host, PFAS in the Age of Uncertainty Conference, March 9-10, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas.
Click here to read the bill.