I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3286 

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to require drinking water distribution 

systems to be flushed under certain circumstances, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 17, 2021 

Mr. RUIZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to require drinking 

water distribution systems to be flushed under certain 

circumstances, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Emergency Order As5 surance, Safety, and Inspection of water Systems Act’’ or 

6 the ‘‘Emergency OASIS Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT. 

8 (a) DRINKING WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

9 FLUSHING.—Section 1412(b) of the Safe Drinking Water 


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1 Act (42 U.S.C. 300g–1(b)) is amended by adding at the 

2 end the following: 

3 ‘‘(16) DRINKING WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

4 FLUSHING.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

5 enactment of the Emergency OASIS Act, the Ad6 ministrator shall promulgate a regulation to require 

7 each community water system to flush its distribu8 tion system if— 

9 ‘‘(A) the concentration of any contaminant 

10 in the drinking water of the community water 

11 system has exceeded the applicable maximum 

12 contaminant level for longer than 6 months; or 

13 ‘‘(B) drinking water has stood motionless 

14 in the distribution system of the community 

15 water system for longer than 6 months.’’. 

16 (b) EMERGENCY ORDERS.—Section 1431 of the Safe 

17 Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300i) is amended by add18 ing at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(c) The actions the Administrator may take under 

20 subparagraph (a) also include, with respect to a commu21 nity water system that is the subject of an order issued 

22 under subsection (a)(1)— 

23 ‘‘(1) carrying out testing for metalloid contami24 nants at not more than 25, but not less than 10 perVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3286.IH H3286

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1 cent, of the service connections of such a community 

2 water system; and 

3 ‘‘(2) providing alternative water supplies in ac4 cordance with subsection (d). 

5 ‘‘(d) If the Administrator determines that, after a pe6 riod of 7 days beginning on the date on which an order 

7 is issued under subsection (a)(1), a community water sys8 tem has not provided alternative water supplies as re9 quired by such order— 

10 ‘‘(1) the Administrator may provide such alter11 native water supplies; and 

12 ‘‘(2) if the Administrator provides such alter13 native water supplies under paragraph (1), the Ad14 ministrator may require the owner of the community 

15 water system to pay an amount that is not less than 

16 twice the cost of providing such alternative water 

17 supplies. 

18 ‘‘(e) Any community water system that is required 

19 to provide alternative water supplies under an order issued 

20 under subsection (a) may not increase any fees, rent, or 

21 other costs on customers in order to comply with such 

22 order.’’. 

Æ 


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