,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #efei  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,september #ah1 #bjad
 ,mr4 ,stutzman introduced the following
 bill2 which was referred to the        
,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and
 in addition to the ,committee on       
,agriculture1 for a period to be        
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to reduce ,federal1 ,state1 
and local costs of providing            
high-quality drinking water to millions 
of ,americans residing in rural         
communities by facilitating greater use 
of cost-effective well water systems1   
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,water ,supply ,cost ,savings ,act or   
the ,savings ,act4  #b4 ,findings       
,congress finds that--  7#a7 the ,united
 ,states is facing a drinking water     
infrastructure funding crisis2 the      

,environmental ,protection ,agency 7the 
,,epa7 projects a #chd billion shortfall
 in funding over the next #bj years2 and
 this funding challenge is particularly 
acute in rural ,america2  7#b7 there are
 #eb1jjj community water systems in the 
,united ,states1 of which #da1hja are   
small community water systems2  7#c7    
,,epa's most recent ,drinking ,water    
,needs ,survey placed the shortfall in  
drinking water infrastructure funding   
for small communities 7#c1cjj or fewer  
persons7 at #fd4e billion2  7#d7 small  
communities often cannot finance the    
construction and maintenance of drinking
 water systems because the cost per     
resident for this investment would be   
prohibitively expensive2  7#e7 drought  
conditions have placed significant      
strains on existing surface water       
supplies1 and many communities across   
the country are now considering the use 
of groundwater and community well       
systems to provide drinking water2 and  
7#f7 #db million ,americans receive     

their drinking water from individual    
wells1 and millions more rely upon      
community well systems for their        
drinking water4  #c4 ,sense of ,congress
 ,it is the sense of the ,congress      
that--  7#a7 providing rural communities
 with the knowledge and resources       
necessary to fully utilize wells and    
community well systems can save local1  
,state1 and ,federal governments and    
taxpayers billions of dollars over the  
next two decades2  7#b7 wells and       
community well systems can provide safe 
and affordable drinking water to        
millions of ,americans2 and  7#c7 the   
,federal ,government lacks the resources
 to finance the drinking water          
infrastructure needs of millions of     
citizens residing in rural ,america1 and
 wells and community well systems can   
help significantly to close this funding
 gap4  #d4 ,drinking water technology   
clearinghouse ,the ,administrator of the
 ,environmental ,protection ,agency and 
the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall--  

7#a7 update existing programs of the    
,agency and the ,department of          
,agriculture designed to provide        
drinking water technical assistance to  
include information on cost-effective1  
innovative1 and alternative drinking    
water delivery systems1 including       
systems that are supported by wells2 and
  7#b7 disseminate information on the   
cost effectiveness of wells and well    
systems to communities and              
not-for-profit organizations seeking    
,federal funding for drinking water     
systems serving #c1cjj or fewer persons4
  #e4 ,water system assessment ,in any  
application for a ,federal grant or loan
 for a drinking water system serving    
#c1cjj or fewer persons1 a unit of local
 government or not-for-profit           
organization shall certify that it has  
considered1 as an alternative drinking  
water supply1 drinking water delivery   
systems sourced by publicly owned       
individual wells1 shared wells1 and     
community wells4  #f4 ,report to        

,congress ,not later than #c years after
 the date of enactment of this ,act1 the
 ,administrator of the ,environmental   
,protection ,agency and the ,secretary  
of ,agriculture shall report to         
,congress on--  7#a7 the utilization of 
innovative and alternative drinking     
water systems described in this ,act2   
7#b7 the range of cost savings for      
communities utilizing innovative and    
alternative drinking water systems      
described in this ,act2 and  7#c7 the   
utilization of drinking water technical 
assistance programs operated by the     
,agency and the ,department4