Title: Secure and Resilient Water Systems Act
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Secure and Resilient Water Systems Act
This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act by requiring each community water system to submit to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) source water and distribution system vulnerability assessments that identify threats from:
Each community water system must also submit to the EPA protection plans that mitigate the threats to source water and distribution systems.
The EPA must establish a grant program for increasing the resiliency or adaptability of the community water systems to threats.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1579 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.

    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 ``Secure and Resilient Water Systems 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CLIMATE RESILIENCY, SECURITY, AND SOURCE WATER PROTECTION 
              PLANNING.

    Section 1433 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300i-2) is 
amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 1433. CLIMATE RESILIENCY, SECURITY, AND SOURCE WATER PROTECTION.

    ``(a) Source Water and Distribution System Vulnerability 
Assessments.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 24 months after the date 
        of enactment of the Secure and Resilient Water Systems Act, 
        each community water system shall submit to the Administrator 
        source water and distribution system vulnerability assessments.
            ``(2) Identification of threats.--Assessments submitted 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) shall identify--
                    ``(A) threats to the community water system's 
                source water from industrial activity, pipelines and 
                storage tanks, contaminated sites, agricultural 
                activity, and oil and gas exploration;
                    ``(B) threats to the community water system's 
                source water and distribution system from climate 
                change, extreme weather, drought, and temperature 
                changes; and
                    ``(C) threats to the community water system's 
                source water and distribution system from intentional 
                acts, including intentional contamination, sabotage, 
                and theft of any chemical of interest (as designated 
                under Appendix A to part 27 of title 6, Code of Federal 
                Regulations, or any successor thereto).
            ``(3) Assessment of alternatives.--Assessments submitted 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include a comparison of the 
        disinfection methods used by the community water system and 
        reasonably available alternative disinfection methods, 
        including a determination of whether reasonably available 
        alternative disinfection methods could reduce the community 
        water system's vulnerability to the threats identified pursuant 
        to paragraph (2).
            ``(4) Periodic review and resubmission.--Each community 
        water system submitting a vulnerability assessment pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall review, revise as necessary, and resubmit 
        such assessment not less often than every 5 years.
            ``(5) Guidance.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        enactment of the Secure and Resilient Water Systems Act, the 
        Administrator shall provide guidance to community water systems 
        for the preparation of vulnerability assessments under this 
        subsection.
    ``(b) Source Water and Distribution System Protection Plans.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
        enactment of the Secure and Resilient Water Systems Act, each 
        community water system shall submit to the Administrator source 
        water and distribution system protection plans.
            ``(2) Mitigation of identified threats.--Plans submitted 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) shall identify strategies and 
        resources to mitigate the threats identified in assessments 
        prepared pursuant to subsection (a).
            ``(3) Emergency response planning.--Plans submitted 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include specific emergency 
        response plans for the threats identified in assessments 
        prepared pursuant to subsection (a).
            ``(4) Periodic review and resubmission.--Each community 
        water system submitting a plan pursuant to paragraph (1) shall 
        review, revise as necessary, and resubmit such plan not less 
        often than every 5 years.
            ``(5) Guidance.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        enactment of the Secure and Resilient Water Systems Act, the 
        Administrator shall provide guidance to community water systems 
        for the preparation of plans under this subsection.
    ``(c) Technical Assistance and Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish and 
        implement a program, to be known as the Drinking Water 
        Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program, under 
        which the Administrator may award grants in each of fiscal 
        years 2018 through 2022 to owners or operators of community 
        water systems for the purpose of increasing the resiliency or 
        adaptability of the community water systems to threats 
        identified pursuant to subsection (a).
            ``(2) Use of funds.--As a condition on receipt of a grant 
        under this section, an owner or operator of a community water 
        system shall agree to use the grant funds exclusively to assist 
        in the planning, design, construction, implementation, 
        operation, or maintenance of a program or project consistent 
        with a plan developed pursuant to subsection (b).
            ``(3) Priority.--
                    ``(A) Water systems at greatest and most immediate 
                risk.--In selecting grantees under this subsection, the 
                Administrator shall give priority to applicants that 
                are owners or operators of community water systems that 
                are, based on the best available research and data, at 
                the greatest and most immediate risk of facing 
                significant negative impacts due to threats described 
                in subsection (a)(2).
                    ``(B) Goals.--In selecting among applicants 
                described in subparagraph (A), the Administrator shall 
                ensure that, to the maximum extent practicable, the 
                final list of applications funded for each year 
                includes a substantial number that propose to use 
                innovative approaches to meet one or more of the 
                following goals:
                            ``(i) Promoting more efficient water use, 
                        water conservation, water reuse, or water 
                        recycling.
                            ``(ii) Using decentralized, low-impact 
                        development technologies and nonstructural 
                        approaches, including practices that use, 
                        enhance, or mimic the natural hydrological 
                        cycle or protect natural flows.
                            ``(iii) Reducing stormwater runoff or 
                        flooding by protecting or enhancing natural 
                        ecosystem functions.
                            ``(iv) Modifying, upgrading, enhancing, or 
                        replacing existing community water system 
                        infrastructure in response to changing 
                        hydrologic conditions.
                            ``(v) Improving water quality or quantity 
                        for agricultural and municipal uses, including 
                        through salinity reduction.
                            ``(vi) Providing multiple benefits, 
                        including to water supply enhancement or demand 
                        reduction, water quality protection or 
                        improvement, increased flood protection, and 
                        ecosystem protection or improvement.
            ``(4) Cost-sharing.--
                    ``(A) Federal share.--The share of the cost of any 
                activity that is the subject of a grant awarded by the 
                Administrator to the owner or operator of a community 
                water system under this subsection shall not exceed 50 
                percent of the cost of the activity.
                    ``(B) Calculation of non-federal share.--In 
                calculating the non-Federal share of the cost of an 
                activity proposed by a community water system in an 
                application submitted under this subsection, the 
                Administrator shall--
                            ``(i) include the value of any in-kind 
                        services that are integral to the completion of 
                        the activity, including reasonable 
                        administrative and overhead costs; and
                            ``(ii) not include any other amount that 
                        the community water system involved receives 
                        from the Federal Government.
            ``(5) Report to congress.--Not later than 3 years after the 
        date of the enactment of the Secure and Resilient Water Systems 
        Act, and every 3 years thereafter, the Administrator shall 
        submit to the Congress a report on progress in implementing 
        this subsection, including information on project applications 
        received and funded annually.
            ``(6) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this 
        subsection, there are authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 
        for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022.''.
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