Sec. 323. Assistance for drought-stricken communities
602 words·~3 min read·
/bill/114/s/1894/is/section-323·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds that— across the United States, more than 90 percent of the community water systems serve populations of less than 10,000 individuals; the number of dry wells continues to increase as the State enters the fourth consecutive summer of drought, with approximately 1,988 wells statewide identified as critical or dry, which affects an estimated 9,940 residents, with 1,883 of the 1,988 dry wells concentrated in the inland regions within the Central Valley; many areas of the State are disproportionately impacted by drought because the areas are heavily dependent or completely reliant on groundwater from basins that are in overdraft and in which the water table declines year after year or from basins that are contaminated; and those communities throughout the State have been impacted by the presence of naturally occurring arsenic in the groundwater among other contaminants, as a result of higher concentration of contaminants in the water.
To assist disadvantaged communities that have experienced a significant decline in quantity or quality of drinking water, and to obtain or maintain adequate quantities of water that meet the standards set by the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. et seq.), there is established within the Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program of the Department of Agriculture a program under which the Secretary of Agriculture shall provide grants for communities— that are unable to meet the primary water quality standards under that Act; or the local private or public water supply of which has been lost or severely diminished due to drought conditions.
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), to be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, a community shall carry out a project described in paragraph (3), the service area of which— shall not be located in any city or town with a population of more than 10,000 residents; and has a median household income of less than 100 percent of a the nonmetropolitan median household income of the State. Notwithstanding subparagraph (A)(i), the Secretary may provide assistance to communities exceeding the 10,000 population limit established by that subparagraph in the event there is a threat to the human health and safety of the community as a result of decreased water supplies or water quality.
Projects eligible for this program may be used for— point of use treatment; point of entry systems; distributed treatment facilities; construction of new water source facilities including wells and connections to existing systems; water distribution facilities; connection fees to existing systems; assistance to households to connect to water facilities; and any combination of activities described in subparagraphs
(A)through (G). In determining priorities for funding projects, the Secretary of Agriculture shall take into consideration— where water outages— are most imminent; and pose the greatest threat to public health and safety; and the access of the applicant to, or ability to qualify for, alternative funding sources. The amount of a grant provided under this section may be made up to 100 percent of costs, including— initial operation costs incurred for start-up and testing of project facilities; components to ensure such facilities and components are properly operational; and costs of operation or maintenance incurred subsequent to placing the facilities or components into service. The Secretary may use amounts made available to carry out this section to provide grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, nonprofit organizations that can provide onsite technical assistance, assistance with implementing source water protection plans, and assistance with implementing monitoring and maintenance plans. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $15,000,000 for up to 15 pilot projects to implement the program under this section.