I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1579 

To require drinking water systems to assess and address their vulnerabilities 

to climate change, source water degradation, and intentional acts to 

ensure security and resiliency. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 16, 2017 

Mr. PETERS (for himself, Mr. PALLONE, and Mr. TONKO) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To require drinking water systems to assess and address 

their vulnerabilities to climate change, source water degradation, and intentional acts to ensure security and 

resiliency. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Secure and Resilient 

5 Water Systems Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CLIMATE RESILIENCY, SECURITY, AND SOURCE 

2 WATER PROTECTION PLANNING. 

3 Section 1433 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 300i–2) is amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 1433. CLIMATE RESILIENCY, SECURITY, AND SOURCE 

6 WATER PROTECTION. 

7 ‘‘(a) SOURCE WATER AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

8 VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 24 months 

10 after the date of enactment of the Secure and Resil11 ient Water Systems Act, each community water sys12 tem shall submit to the Administrator source water 

13 and distribution system vulnerability assessments. 

14 ‘‘(2) IDENTIFICATION OF THREATS.—Assess15 ments submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall 

16 identify— 

17 ‘‘(A) threats to the community water sys18 tem’s source water from industrial activity, 

19 pipelines and storage tanks, contaminated sites, 

20 agricultural activity, and oil and gas explo21 ration; 

22 ‘‘(B) threats to the community water sys23 tem’s source water and distribution system 

24 from climate change, extreme weather, drought, 

25 and temperature changes; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) threats to the community water sys2 tem’s source water and distribution system 

3 from intentional acts, including intentional con4 tamination, sabotage, and theft of any chemical 

5 of interest (as designated under Appendix A to 

6 part 27 of title 6, Code of Federal Regulations, 

7 or any successor thereto). 

8 ‘‘(3) ASSESSMENT OF ALTERNATIVES.—Assess9 ments submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall in10 clude a comparison of the disinfection methods used 

11 by the community water system and reasonably 

12 available alternative disinfection methods, including 

13 a determination of whether reasonably available al14 ternative disinfection methods could reduce the com15 munity water system’s vulnerability to the threats 

16 identified pursuant to paragraph (2). 

17 ‘‘(4) PERIODIC REVIEW AND RESUBMISSION.— 

18 Each community water system submitting a vulner19 ability assessment pursuant to paragraph (1) shall 

20 review, revise as necessary, and resubmit such as21 sessment not less often than every 5 years. 

22 ‘‘(5) GUIDANCE.—Not later than one year after 

23 the date of enactment of the Secure and Resilient 

24 Water Systems Act, the Administrator shall provide 

25 guidance to community water systems for the prepaVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:47 Mar 22, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1579.IH H1579

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1 ration of vulnerability assessments under this sub2 section. 

3 ‘‘(b) SOURCE WATER AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

4 PROTECTION PLANS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 4 years 

6 after the date of enactment of the Secure and Resil7 ient Water Systems Act, each community water sys8 tem shall submit to the Administrator source water 

9 and distribution system protection plans. 

10 ‘‘(2) MITIGATION OF IDENTIFIED THREATS.— 

11 Plans submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall 

12 identify strategies and resources to mitigate the 

13 threats identified in assessments prepared pursuant 

14 to subsection (a). 

15 ‘‘(3) EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANNING.— 

16 Plans submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall in17 clude specific emergency response plans for the 

18 threats identified in assessments prepared pursuant 

19 to subsection (a). 

20 ‘‘(4) PERIODIC REVIEW AND RESUBMISSION.— 

21 Each community water system submitting a plan 

22 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall review, revise as 

23 necessary, and resubmit such plan not less often 

24 than every 5 years. 


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1 ‘‘(5) GUIDANCE.—Not later than one year after 

2 the date of enactment of the Secure and Resilient 

3 Water Systems Act, the Administrator shall provide 

4 guidance to community water systems for the prepa5 ration of plans under this subsection. 

6 ‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND GRANTS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es8 tablish and implement a program, to be known as 

9 the Drinking Water Infrastructure Resiliency and 

10 Sustainability Program, under which the Adminis11 trator may award grants in each of fiscal years 2018 

12 through 2022 to owners or operators of community 

13 water systems for the purpose of increasing the re14 siliency or adaptability of the community water sys15 tems to threats identified pursuant to subsection (a). 

16 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—As a condition on receipt 

17 of a grant under this section, an owner or operator 

18 of a community water system shall agree to use the 

19 grant funds exclusively to assist in the planning, de20 sign, construction, implementation, operation, or 

21 maintenance of a program or project consistent with 

22 a plan developed pursuant to subsection (b). 

23 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY.— 

24 ‘‘(A) WATER SYSTEMS AT GREATEST AND

25 MOST IMMEDIATE RISK.—In selecting grantees 


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1 under this subsection, the Administrator shall 

2 give priority to applicants that are owners or 

3 operators of community water systems that are, 

4 based on the best available research and data, 

5 at the greatest and most immediate risk of fac6 ing significant negative impacts due to threats 

7 described in subsection (a)(2). 

8 ‘‘(B) GOALS.—In selecting among appli9 cants described in subparagraph (A), the Ad10 ministrator shall ensure that, to the maximum 

11 extent practicable, the final list of applications 

12 funded for each year includes a substantial 

13 number that propose to use innovative ap14 proaches to meet one or more of the following 

15 goals: 

16 ‘‘(i) Promoting more efficient water 

17 use, water conservation, water reuse, or 

18 water recycling. 

19 ‘‘(ii) Using decentralized, low-impact 

20 development technologies and non21 structural approaches, including practices 

22 that use, enhance, or mimic the natural 

23 hydrological cycle or protect natural flows. 


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1 ‘‘(iii) Reducing stormwater runoff or 

2 flooding by protecting or enhancing nat3 ural ecosystem functions. 

4 ‘‘(iv) Modifying, upgrading, enhanc5 ing, or replacing existing community water 

6 system infrastructure in response to 

7 changing hydrologic conditions. 

8 ‘‘(v) Improving water quality or quan9 tity for agricultural and municipal uses, in10 cluding through salinity reduction. 

11 ‘‘(vi) Providing multiple benefits, in12 cluding to water supply enhancement or 

13 demand reduction, water quality protection 

14 or improvement, increased flood protection, 

15 and ecosystem protection or improvement. 

16 ‘‘(4) COST-SHARING.— 

17 ‘‘(A) FEDERAL SHARE.—The share of the 

18 cost of any activity that is the subject of a 

19 grant awarded by the Administrator to the 

20 owner or operator of a community water system 

21 under this subsection shall not exceed 50 per22 cent of the cost of the activity. 

23 ‘‘(B) CALCULATION OF NON-FEDERAL

24 SHARE.—In calculating the non-Federal share 

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1 nity water system in an application submitted 

2 under this subsection, the Administrator shall— 

3 ‘‘(i) include the value of any in-kind 

4 services that are integral to the completion 

5 of the activity, including reasonable admin6 istrative and overhead costs; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) not include any other amount 

8 that the community water system involved 

9 receives from the Federal Government. 

10 ‘‘(5) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 3 

11 years after the date of the enactment of the Secure 

12 and Resilient Water Systems Act, and every 3 years 

13 thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the 

14 Congress a report on progress in implementing this 

15 subsection, including information on project applica16 tions received and funded annually. 

17 ‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

18 To carry out this subsection, there are authorized to 

19 be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

20 2018 through 2022.’’. 

Æ 


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