,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #afdb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #bb1     
#bjae,mr4 ,boozman 7for himself1 ,mr4   
,cardin1 and ,mr4 ,tester7 introduced   
the following bill2 which was read twice
 and referred to the ,committee on      
,environment and ,public ,works  ,a     
,,bill  ,to reduce ,federal1 ,state1 and
 local costs of providing high-quality  
drinking water to millions of people in 
the ,united ,states residing in rural   
communities by facilitating greater use 
of cost-effective alternative systems1  
including 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  7#b7 the ,environmental
 ,protection ,agency projects a         
shortfall of approximately              
#chd1jjj1jjj1jjj in funding for drinking

 water infrastructure from #bjae to     
#bjce and this funding challenge is     
particularly acute in rural communities 
in the ,united ,states2  7#c7 there are 
approximately #eb1jjj community water   
systems in the ,united ,states1 of which
 nearly #db1jjj are small community     
water systems2  7#d7 the ,drinking      
,water ,needs ,survey conducted by the  
,environmental ,protection ,agency in   
#bjaa placed the shortfall in drinking  
water infrastructure funding for small  
communities1 which consist of #c1cjj or 
fewer persons1 at #fd1ejj1jjj1jjj2  7#e7
 small communities often cannot finance 
the construction and maintenance of     
drinking water systems because the cost 
per resident for the investment would be
 prohibitively expensive2  7#f7 drought 
conditions have placed significant      
strains on existing surface water       
supplies2  7#g7 many communities across 
the ,united ,states are considering the 
use of groundwater and community well   
systems to provide drinking water2 and  

7#h7 approximately #db1jjj1jjj people in
 the ,united ,states receive drinking   
water from individual wells and millions
 more rely on community well systems for
 drinking water4  #c4 ,sense of         
,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress 
that providing rural communities with   
the knowledge and resources necessary to
 fully use alternative drinking water   
systems1 including wells and community  
well systems1 can provide safe and      
affordable drinking water to millions of
 people in the ,united ,states4  #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    
,environmental ,protection ,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 alternative drinking   
water delivery systems1 including wells 
and well systems1 to communities and    
not-for-profit organizations seeking    
,federal funding for drinking water     
systems serving #ejj or fewer persons4  
#e4 ,water system assessment            
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
law1 in any application for a grant or  
loan from the ,federal ,government or a 
,state that is using ,federal assistance
 for a drinking water system serving    
#ejj or fewer persons1 a unit of local  
government or not-for-profit            
organization shall self-certify that the
 unit of local government or            
organization has considered1 as an      
alternative drinking water supply1      
drinking water delivery systems sourced 
by publicly owned--  7#a7 individual    
wells2  7#b7 shared wells2 and  7#c7    
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 provide to        
,congress a report that describes--     
7#a7 the use of innovative and          
alternative drinking water systems      
described in this ,act2  7#b7 the range 
of cost savings for communities using   
innovative and alternative drinking     
water systems described in this ,act2   
and  7#c7 the use of drinking water     
technical assistance programs operated  
by the ,administrator of the            
,environmental ,protection ,agency and  
the ,secretary of ,agriculture4