U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) last week introduced the bipartisan Rural Decentralized Water Systems Reauthorization Act (S. 1233), legislation that would expand and strengthen the USDA Rural Decentralized Water Systems Program to provide support for low- and moderate-income households to install or upgrade their water well and wastewater systems.
“Strengthening our infrastructure throughout West Virginia has been and remains a top priority of mine,” Senator Capito said. “I’m glad to join Senator Booker in reintroducing legislation that will help improve home water systems in West Virginia and reauthorize the Rural Decentralized Water Systems Grant Program that has proven to work in my state. This legislation is also included in my list of Farm Bill priorities this year, and I look forward to working to advancing it.”
“Water is a basic human right and access to safe, clean water should never be determined based on one’s socioeconomic status,” Senator Booker said. “We must ensure that all Americans have access to reliable water well and wastewater systems to prevent health hazards in communities where water contamination is a real threat. That is why I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bill that would expand and strengthen the USDA Rural Decentralized Water Systems Program to provide support to more low- and moderate-income households to modernize their outdated wastewater systems.”
Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Terri Sewell (D-AL-07) and Mike Rogers (R-AL-03)
The bill is also supported by the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA) and Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP).