Emergency OASIS Act
Bill: H.R.3286 | Sponsor: Rep. Ruiz, Raul (D-CA)
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Emergency Order Assurance, Safety, and Inspection of water Systems Act or the Emergency OASIS Act
This bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue regulations that require community water systems to flush their drinking water distribution systems of contaminants under certain circumstances; it also expands the EPA's emergency powers to address metalloid contaminants in community water systems when state and local authorities have not acted to protect the health of persons in those communities.
Specifically, the EPA must issue regulations to require each community water system to flush its distribution system if any contaminant has exceeded the applicable maximum contaminant level for longer than six months or if the drinking water has stood motionless in the system for longer than six months.
The EPA may take steps under its emergency powers to test community water systems for metalloid contaminants in drinking water and provide alternative water supplies. Further, the EPA may require the owner of the water system to pay an amount that is at least twice the cost of providing such alternative water supplies.

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to require drinking water 
distribution systems to be flushed under certain circumstances, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Order Assurance, Safety, 
and Inspection of water Systems Act'' or the ``Emergency OASIS Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT.

    (a) Drinking Water Distribution System Flushing.--Section 1412(b) 
of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300g-1(b)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
            ``(16) Drinking water distribution system flushing.--Not 
        later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Emergency 
        OASIS Act, the Administrator shall promulgate a regulation to 
        require each community water system to flush its distribution 
        system if--
                    ``(A) the concentration of any contaminant in the 
                drinking water of the community water system has 
                exceeded the applicable maximum contaminant level for 
                longer than 6 months; or
                    ``(B) drinking water has stood motionless in the 
                distribution system of the community water system for 
                longer than 6 months.''.
    (b) Emergency Orders.--Section 1431 of the Safe Drinking Water Act 
(42 U.S.C. 300i) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) The actions the Administrator may take under subparagraph (a) 
also include, with respect to a community water system that is the 
subject of an order issued under subsection (a)(1)--
            ``(1) carrying out testing for metalloid contaminants at 
        not more than 25, but not less than 10 percent, of the service 
        connections of such a community water system; and
            ``(2) providing alternative water supplies in accordance 
        with subsection (d).
    ``(d) If the Administrator determines that, after a period of 7 
days beginning on the date on which an order is issued under subsection 
(a)(1), a community water system has not provided alternative water 
supplies as required by such order--
            ``(1) the Administrator may provide such alternative water 
        supplies; and
            ``(2) if the Administrator provides such alternative water 
        supplies under paragraph (1), the Administrator may require the 
        owner of the community water system to pay an amount that is 
        not less than twice the cost of providing such alternative 
        water supplies.
    ``(e) Any community water system that is required to provide 
alternative water supplies under an order issued under subsection (a) 
may not increase any fees, rent, or other costs on customers in order 
to comply with such order.''.
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