I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6313 
To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize the technical assistance 
to small public water systems. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 19, 2008 
Mr. ETHERIDGE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize the 
technical assistance to small public water systems. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that: 
(1) The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drink-
ing Water Act (Public Law 104–182, 42 U.S.C. 
300j–1) authorized technical assistance for small 
and rural communities to assist them with compli-
ance with rules and regulations promulgated under 
the Safe Drinking Water Act. Technical assistance 
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and compliance training ensures that Federal regu-
lations don’t overwhelm small and rural commu-
nities’ resources. It also allows small communities 
lacking technical resources access to assistance nec-
essary to improve and protect their water resources. 
(2) Under this authorization locally supported 
technical assistance initiatives have been operating 
nationwide for the past three decades and have been 
the main source of compliance and assistance for 
small and rural communities to meet Federal stand-
ards. Without these initiatives, effective implementa-
tion of the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean 
Water Act in rural areas would be nearly impossible. 
(3) Across the States over 90 percent of the 
community water systems serve a population less 
than 10,000. Small communities have the greatest 
difficulty providing safe, affordable public drinking 
water and wastewater services due to limited econo-
mies of scale and less technical expertise. 
(4) In addition, extending the Safe Drinking 
Water Act’s authorization, this legislation would re-
quire that the Environmental Protection Agency 
prioritize technical assistance funding to organiza-
tions that have the most support of each State’s 
local communities. Having the local support is the 
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fundamental key to making the Federal funding (the 
Federal assistance initiatives) work in small and 
rural communities. This will ensure that any funding 
used for technical assistance initiatives will work 
best and result in the most benefit to each State’s 
local small and rural communities. 
(5) In addition to being the main source of 
compliance assistance, rural water technical assist-
ance has been the main source of assistance in emer-
gency response in small and rural communities. 
Rural water technicians were the lead assistance in 
Greensburg, Kansas, in restoring the drinking water 
and sanitary sewer service to that tornado-stricken 
small community (by providing water to the tem-
porary hospital, housing units, and the community 
in time). This was also the case in the response to 
the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast where the hundreds 
of small and rural communities relied on assistance 
from the local and surrounding State rural water as-
sociations for immediate assistance in restoring 
drinking water and sanitation service. 
SEC. 2. FUNDING PRIORITIES. 
Section 1442(e) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 
U.S.C. 300j–1(e)) is amended as follows: 
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(1) 
In 
the 
fifth 
sentence 
by 
striking 
‘‘15,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘20,000,000’’ and by 
striking ‘‘1997 through 2003’’ and inserting ‘‘2009 
through 2013’’. 
(2) By inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(e) TECHNICAL 
ASSISTANCE.—’’ and by adding the following new 
paragraph at the end thereof: 
‘‘(2) The Administrator may provide technical assist-
ance, under this subsection, to organizations providing on- 
site technical assistance, circuit-rider technical assistance 
programs, on-site and regional training, assistance with 
implementing source water protection plans, and assist-
ance with implementation monitoring plans, rules, regula-
tions, and water security enhancements. To assure tech-
nical assistance funding under this subsection is used in 
a manner most beneficial to small communities in each 
State, the Administrator shall give preference to nonprofit 
organizations that, as determined by the Administrator, 
are qualified, effective, and have the most support (or a 
majority of support) from small water systems in the 
States.’’. 
Æ 
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