Bill Summary
The "Emergency Rural Water Response Act of 2025" aims to enhance the support provided to communities facing water emergencies by amending the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act. Key provisions include:
1. **Expanded Grant Eligibility**: The legislation broadens the scope of the Emergency and Imminent Community Water Assistance Grant Program to include additional infrastructure related to water resources, such as facilities for potable water, wastewater management, storm drainage, and solid waste. This change is intended to ensure that a wider range of critical water-related needs can be addressed during emergencies.
2. **Increased Funding Limits**: The maximum population limit for grant eligibility is raised from 10,000 to 35,000 individuals, allowing more communities to qualify for financial assistance in emergency water situations.
3. **Permit Exemption for Emergency Water Treatment**: The Act also introduces a temporary exemption from National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for portable water treatment and filtration facilities deployed in response to declared disasters. This exemption is effective for a six-month period following a state-declared emergency, facilitating quicker access to clean water for affected populations.
Overall, this legislation seeks to improve the responsiveness and effectiveness of water assistance during emergencies, ensuring that more communities can access necessary resources to manage water crises effectively.
Possible Impacts
Here are three examples of how the proposed "Emergency Rural Water Response Act of 2025" could affect people:
1. **Increased Access to Emergency Water Assistance**: By expanding eligibility for grants related to emergency water assistance to communities with populations up to 35,000, more rural areas will have access to necessary financial resources. This could lead to improved water infrastructure and emergency response capabilities, ultimately ensuring that residents in these areas have access to clean and safe drinking water during crises, such as natural disasters or contamination events.
2. **Enhanced Water Infrastructure Development**: The inclusion of associated uses related to water resources infrastructure—such as facilities for potable water, wastewater, storm drainage, or solid waste—means that funding can be used for a wider range of projects. This could lead to the construction or upgrading of essential systems in rural communities, reducing the risk of water shortages or contamination, and improving overall public health and sanitation for residents.
3. **Facilitation of Rapid Response During Emergencies**: The NPDES permit exemption for emergency use of portable water treatment and filtration facilities allows local governments or organizations to swiftly deploy clean water solutions without bureaucratic delays. This capability is crucial during disaster recovery, as it enables quicker access to safe drinking water for affected individuals, potentially saving lives and reducing the health impacts of waterborne diseases in the aftermath of emergencies.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4879 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4879
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand
eligibility for grants related to emergency water assistance, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 5, 2025
Mr. Costa (for himself and Mr. Edwards) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand
eligibility for grants related to emergency water assistance, 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 Rural Water Response Act
of 2025''.
SEC. 2. EMERGENCY AND IMMINENT COMMUNITY WATER ASSISTANCE GRANT
PROGRAM.
Section 306A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7
U.S.C. 1926a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (d)(1)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as
subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the
following:
``(C) for associated uses related to water
resources infrastructure, including facilities for
potable water, wastewater, storm drainage, or solid
waste;''; and
(2) in subsection (e)(1)(A), by striking ``10,000'' and
inserting ``35,000''.
SEC. 3. NPDES PERMIT EXEMPTION.
Section 402(l) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33
U.S.C. 1342(l)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Emergency use of portable water treatment and
filtration facilities.--During any 6-month period immediately
following a declaration by a State of a disaster or state of
emergency, no permit shall be required under this section by
the Administrator (or the State, in the case of a permit
program approved under subsection (b)) for discharges from a
portable water treatment and filtration facility installed in
the area covered by the declaration to provide clean water as
needed to respond to conditions caused by the event that
resulted in the declaration.''.
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