Bill > HR1160

This bill, known as the Water Supply Cost Savings Act, aims to reduce costs for providing high-quality drinking water, especially in rural communities, by promoting the use of more affordable alternative water systems. It requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture to update their existing programs that offer technical assistance for drinking water systems to include information on cost-effective, innovative, and alternative delivery methods, such as wells and well systems. Furthermore, these agencies must share information about the cost-effectiveness of these alternative systems with communities and non-profit organizations that are seeking federal funding for drinking water systems serving 500 or fewer people. For such communities applying for federal or state funding for their drinking water systems, the bill mandates that they must consider drinking water delivery systems sourced by publicly owned individual, shared, and community wells as a viable alternative. Finally, the bill requires the EPA and the Department of Agriculture to report to Congress within three years on the use of these alternative systems, the cost savings achieved, and the effectiveness of their technical assistance programs.