Bill > S2436

This bill establishes the Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Assistance Program (Healthy H2O Program), which will provide grants to help rural communities and households address drinking water quality challenges. The program allows eligible recipients, including homeowners, renters, child-care facilities, and nonprofit organizations, to receive financial assistance for purchasing, installing, and maintaining point-of-use and point-of-entry water quality improvement products that can reduce health contaminants like lead, arsenic, and PFAS. Grant recipients must have documented water quality issues and cannot have a household income exceeding 150% of the state's median nonmetropolitan household income. The program aims to provide interim solutions for communities facing immediate drinking water infrastructure challenges, with grants covering costs of water quality tests, product purchases, professional installations, and maintenance. The Secretary of Agriculture will administer the program, with $10 million authorized annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030. Additionally, the bill requires annual reports to Congress detailing program outcomes, emerging water quality technologies, and recommendations for improving access to safe drinking water solutions.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2436/all-info