I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8018 
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to establish 
a grant program to assist with the purchase, installation, and mainte-
nance of point-of-entry and point-of-use drinking water quality improve-
ment products, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 9, 2022 
Ms. PINGREE (for herself and Mr. ROUZER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 
Act to establish a grant program to assist with the 
purchase, installation, and maintenance of point-of-entry 
and point-of-use drinking water quality improvement 
products, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Healthy Drinking 
Water Affordability Act’’ or the ‘‘Healthy H2O Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
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(1) clean and safe drinking water is necessary 
to ensure public health and a vibrant economy; 
(2) communities that are dependent on private 
groundwater supplies to meet domestic drinking 
water needs, as well as those that continue to experi-
ence drinking water infrastructure challenges from 
public water supplies, including with infrastructure 
into and within households and living facilities, are 
disproportionately impacted by drinking water qual-
ity issues; 
(3) in many instances, those communities and 
their households have been adversely impacted by 
the presence of 1 or more naturally occurring and 
human-caused contaminants found in drinking 
water, such as lead, arsenic, nitrate, nitrite, and 
volatile organic compounds, as well as federally un-
regulated contaminants, including perfluoroalkyl and 
polyfluoroalkyl substances and hexavalent chromium 
(chrome–6), in local groundwater or other drinking 
water supplies; 
(4) public health organizations and institutions, 
such as the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion, 
have 
cited 
giardia, 
enterovirus, 
radon, 
rotovirus, norovirus, shigella, campylobacter, sal-
monella, hepatitis A, cryptosporidium, and e. coli as 
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among the major diseases and contaminants that 
can be present in drinking water sources; 
(5) investments in projects to improve and sup-
port drinking water infrastructure are critically im-
portant to addressing water quality in the United 
States, but because those projects can typically take 
many years to complete, the current, and in some 
cases the ongoing, needs of communities impacted 
with immediate drinking water quality challenges 
cannot be or are not addressed in a timely manner; 
(6) as an interim measure (and in some cases 
in rural areas, for longer term or permanently), 
point-of-entry and point-of-use water quality im-
provement products are viable solutions to address 
drinking water contamination challenges for the peo-
ple of the United States; and 
(7) grants provided under this Act are intended 
to provide financial assistance for eligible grant re-
cipients (as defined in section 306F(a) of the Con-
solidated Farm and Rural Development Act (as 
added by section 3)) that voluntarily seek to improve 
the quality of the drinking water of eligible end 
users (as defined in that section), and not to dem-
onstrate that an eligible end user is in compliance 
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with a Federal, State, or local primary drinking 
water standard or regulation. 
SEC. 3. HEALTHY DRINKING WATER AFFORDABILITY AS-
SISTANCE PROGRAM. 
Subtitle A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De-
velopment Act is amended by inserting after section 306E 
(7 U.S.C. 1926e) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 306F. HEALTHY DRINKING WATER AFFORDABILITY 
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) APPROVED INSTALLATION.—The term ‘ap-
proved installation’ means the installation of an eli-
gible drinking water quality improvement product or 
a certified filter component by a qualified third-party 
installer that— 
‘‘(A) complies with all local and State reg-
ulations; and 
‘‘(B) follows the installation instructions of 
the manufacturer. 
‘‘(2) APPROVED MAINTENANCE.—The term ‘ap-
proved maintenance’ means required maintenance— 
‘‘(A) performed on an eligible drinking 
water quality improvement product that in-
cludes maintenance and replacement of the cer-
tified filter component; 
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‘‘(B) performed by a service technician 
who— 
‘‘(i) is— 
‘‘(I) professionally qualified, cer-
tified, or licensed as a water treat-
ment product maintenance profes-
sional, 
including 
a 
professional 
credentialed through a manufacturer 
or third party; 
‘‘(II) operating under the super-
vision of a service technician described 
in subclause (I); 
‘‘(III) a licensed plumber or a 
plumber operating under the super-
vision of a licensed plumbing con-
tractor; or 
‘‘(IV) an individual who holds a 
license or certification related to water 
treatment technologies issued by a 
State; and 
‘‘(ii) regularly completes continuing 
education on water treatment technology 
and other subjects that enhance the serv-
ices provided under this section; 
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‘‘(C) that complies with all local and State 
regulations; and 
‘‘(D) that follows the maintenance instruc-
tions of the manufacturer. 
‘‘(3) CERTIFIED
FILTER
COMPONENT.—The 
term ‘certified filter component’ means a replaceable 
or replacement filter component— 
‘‘(A) for which approved maintenance can 
be performed; and 
‘‘(B) that is certified by a third-party cer-
tifier as compliant with— 
‘‘(i)(I) 
NSF/ANSI 
Standard 
53, 
‘Drinking Water Treatment Units—Health 
Effects’; 
‘‘(II) NSF/ANSI Standard 58, ‘Re-
verse Osmosis Drinking Water Treatment 
Systems’; or 
‘‘(III) another successor or relevant 
ANSI standard for drinking water treat-
ment units or systems that addresses 
health contaminant reduction, as deter-
mined by the Secretary; or 
‘‘(ii) a standard that is similar to a 
standard described in clause (i) or more 
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protective of human health than that 
standard, as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE DRINKING WATER QUALITY IM-
PROVEMENT PRODUCT.—The term ‘eligible drinking 
water quality improvement product’ means a point- 
of-use or point-of-entry system— 
‘‘(A) incorporating a certified filter compo-
nent; and 
‘‘(B) that is certified by a third-party cer-
tifier to meet standards recognized by the 
American National Standards Institute— 
‘‘(i) for material safety and perform-
ance; and 
‘‘(ii) to improve drinking water qual-
ity. 
‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE END USER.—The term ‘eligible 
end user’ means a person located in a rural area (as 
defined in section 343(a)(13)(B) of the Consolidated 
Farm and Rural Development Act), that is— 
‘‘(A)(i) a homeowner; 
‘‘(ii) an individual lessee or renter of a 
home, apartment, or other dwelling; 
‘‘(iii) a property owner of a multi-unit resi-
dential building with 25 or fewer owned, leased, 
or rented dwelling units; 
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‘‘(iv) a licensed child-care facility; or 
‘‘(v) an owned, leased, or rented facility; 
and 
‘‘(B) supported by a finding of need 
through— 
‘‘(i) a qualified water quality test 
demonstrating the presence of 1 or more 
health contaminants; or 
‘‘(ii) other documentation determined 
to be satisfactory by the Secretary dem-
onstrating the presence of 1 or more 
health contaminants. 
‘‘(6) ELIGIBLE GRANT RECIPIENT.—The term 
‘eligible grant recipient’ means— 
‘‘(A) an eligible end user; and 
‘‘(B) a nonprofit organization or govern-
ment entity that uses a grant provided under 
this section for the purposes described in sub-
section (c)(2). 
‘‘(7) 
HEALTH
CONTAMINANT.—The 
term 
‘health contaminant’ means— 
‘‘(A) a health contaminant found in drink-
ing water, including lead, arsenic, nitrate, ni-
trite, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl sub-
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stances, hexavalent chromium (chrome–6), and 
volatile organic compounds; and 
‘‘(B) any other contaminant with the po-
tential to be detrimental to human health, as 
determined by the Secretary following the op-
portunity for public comment. 
‘‘(8) IMPROVE
DRINKING
WATER
QUALITY.— 
The term ‘improve drinking water quality’ means to 
improve the quality of the water supplied between its 
source and human consumption by significantly re-
ducing or removing 1 or more health contaminants. 
‘‘(9) QUALIFIED
THIRD-PARTY
INSTALLER.— 
The term ‘qualified third-party installer’ means a 
person who— 
‘‘(A) is— 
‘‘(i) a professionally qualified, cer-
tified, or licensed water treatment product 
installation professional, including such a 
professional credentialed through a manu-
facturer or third party; 
‘‘(ii) a licensed plumber or individual 
who holds a license or certification related 
to water treatment technologies issued by a 
State; or 
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‘‘(iii) a company or plumbing con-
tractor employing individuals described in 
clause (i) or (ii); and 
‘‘(B) regularly completes, or requires appli-
cable employees to complete, continuing edu-
cation on water treatment technology and other 
subjects that enhance the services provided 
under this section. 
‘‘(10) QUALIFIED WATER QUALITY TEST.—The 
term ‘qualified water quality test’ means a baseline 
analysis of the bacterial and chemical characteristics 
of concern from a drinking water sample collected at 
the point of consumption and tested by a laboratory 
certified to conduct water quality testing— 
‘‘(A) that is provided to— 
‘‘(i) the Secretary; and 
‘‘(ii) as applicable— 
‘‘(I) a person seeking a grant 
under this section; 
‘‘(II) an eligible end user receiv-
ing a grant under this section; or 
‘‘(III) an eligible grant recipient 
receiving a grant under this section 
and any eligible end users served by 
the eligible grant recipient; and 
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‘‘(B) that includes information that pro-
vides— 
‘‘(i) guidance on test interpretation, 
including whether the bacteria or chemical 
characteristic of concern meets or exceeds 
a prescribed health-based contaminant 
level; and 
‘‘(ii) sources and citations that eligible 
grant recipients, independent third-party 
organizations and institutions, and govern-
ment agencies may review and consult— 
‘‘(I) to determine available eligi-
ble drinking water quality improve-
ment products for addressing detected 
contaminants; and 
‘‘(II) to evaluate efficacy across 
eligible drinking water quality im-
provement products. 
‘‘(11) THIRD-PARTY
CERTIFIER.—The term 
‘third-party certifier’ means an independent certifi-
cation body accredited by the American National 
Standards Institute, such as the Water Quality As-
sociation, NSF International, and the International 
Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials. 
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‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—Not later than 
120 days after the date of enactment of this section, the 
Secretary shall promulgate regulations to establish, and 
shall carry out, a clean drinking water program, to be 
known as the ‘Healthy Drinking Water Affordability As-
sistance Program’ or the ‘Healthy H2O Program’, to pro-
vide grants to eligible grant recipients to improve drinking 
water quality of eligible end users. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE USES OF GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 
shall be used, as directed by the Secretary, for— 
‘‘(A) the purchase of an eligible drinking 
water quality improvement product or a re-
placement certified filter component; 
‘‘(B) the approved installation by a quali-
fied third-party installer of an eligible drinking 
water quality improvement product; 
‘‘(C) the purchase and approved installa-
tion by a qualified third-party installer of a re-
placement certified filter component; 
‘‘(D) the approved maintenance of an eligi-
ble drinking water quality improvement prod-
uct; or 
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‘‘(E) qualified water quality tests to sup-
port products and services described in sub-
paragraphs (A) through (D). 
‘‘(2) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERN-
MENT ENTITIES.—A nonprofit organization or gov-
ernment entity that receives a grant under this sec-
tion shall use the grant, in a manner consistent with 
the uses described in paragraph (1) and as directed 
by the Secretary— 
‘‘(A) to offer qualified water quality tests 
for eligible end users on a voluntary basis; 
‘‘(B) to facilitate the analysis of qualified 
water quality test results for eligible end users; 
‘‘(C) to assist an eligible end user in deter-
mining the response options available and sup-
porting the selection by the eligible end user of 
a response that best fits the needs of the eligi-
ble end user, informed by— 
‘‘(i) a qualified water quality test; and 
‘‘(ii) an understanding of the relevant 
plumbing systems and environmental fac-
tors that will impact point-of-use or point- 
of-entry water safety; 
‘‘(D) to coordinate or facilitate the ap-
proved installation by a qualified third-party in-
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staller of the eligible drinking water quality im-
provement product selected by an eligible end 
user; 
‘‘(E) to optimize the rate at which eligible 
drinking water quality improvement products 
are operating as intended for public health out-
comes by reducing the burden and cost of ongo-
ing testing and system maintenance; and 
‘‘(F) to accelerate the deployment and on-
going utilization of technological innovation 
that— 
‘‘(i) improves drinking water quality; 
‘‘(ii) improves health outcomes; 
‘‘(iii) reduces purchase and mainte-
nance costs of treatment solutions; 
‘‘(iv) increases public awareness of 
water quality issues and treatment options; 
and 
‘‘(v) contributes to continuous im-
provement in the provision of solutions to 
improve drinking water quality by the pub-
lic and private sectors. 
‘‘(d) AMOUNT OF GRANT LIMITATION.—The amount 
of a grant under this section shall not exceed the reason-
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able costs, as determined by the Secretary, of the purposes 
described in subsection (c) for which the grant is provided. 
‘‘(e) GRANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The Secretary shall 
appoint an officer or employee of the Department of Agri-
culture to administer and manage grants provided under 
this section. 
‘‘(f) GRANT
ALLOCATION.—In providing grants 
under this section to eligible grant recipients, the Sec-
retary shall allocate funds and make grants available in 
a manner that— 
‘‘(1) responds to a range of water quality chal-
lenges; 
‘‘(2) improves local and regional capacity to re-
spond to contamination; and 
‘‘(3) ensures reasonable access to funds for— 
‘‘(A) eligible end users seeking a grant 
under this section; and 
‘‘(B) nonprofit organizations and govern-
ment entities seeking a grant under this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(g) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this section, and not less frequently than 
annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Con-
gress, and make publicly available, a report— 
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‘‘(1) identifying ongoing barriers to universal 
safe drinking water prior to and after filtration or 
other treatment; 
‘‘(2) analyzing conditions impacting eligible 
grant recipients, including— 
‘‘(A) sources of contamination or degrada-
tion of water resources, especially groundwater 
resources or upstream resources that recharge 
stores of drinking water; 
‘‘(B) trends in bioaccumulation and at-
tenuation of contaminants and nutrients; and 
‘‘(C) impacts of infrastructure materials, 
crop and land management practices, waste 
management, and other factors that impact 
drinking water quantity and quality; 
‘‘(3) providing a comprehensive analysis of— 
‘‘(A) technologies available to and pur-
chased by eligible grant recipients; and 
‘‘(B) the emerging safe drinking water 
needs of rural and other homeowners, renters, 
residential multi-unit property owners, licensed 
child-care facilities, and other groups, as deter-
mined by the Secretary; 
‘‘(4) that includes information describing— 
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‘‘(A) the types of treatment systems and 
filter components used under the program es-
tablished under this section; 
‘‘(B) the number of qualified water quality 
tests conducted under the program established 
under this section; 
‘‘(C) emerging and changing trends relat-
ing to steps taken to ensure safe drinking water 
in communities and households; and 
‘‘(D) trends relating to the availability and 
use of eligible drinking water quality improve-
ment products, including— 
‘‘(i) affordability at purchase and 
through the lifecycle of the products; 
‘‘(ii) consistency of operation as in-
tended by the manufacturer and installer, 
including effectiveness across systems and 
technologies at achieving stated health pro-
tections; and 
‘‘(iii) lifecycle product performance, 
energy use, and environmental impact; 
‘‘(5) providing recommendations regarding the 
best methods to increase access to— 
‘‘(A) grants under this section; and 
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‘‘(B) the products and services described in 
subsection (c); 
‘‘(6) that incorporates input from relevant— 
‘‘(A) nongovernmental organizations; and 
‘‘(B) certification institutions that oversee 
the criteria for products and training of instal-
lation and maintenance professionals; and 
‘‘(7) the purposes of which are— 
‘‘(A) to improve data on health contami-
nants in drinking water; 
‘‘(B) to provide educational resources on 
water testing and water quality improvement 
products and services to eligible grant recipients 
with drinking water contamination issues; and 
‘‘(C) to collect information that improves 
understanding of water testing and water qual-
ity improvement products and services, includ-
ing their associated health and economic bene-
fits. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such 
sums as are necessary to carry out this section for each 
of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.’’. 
Æ 
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