New Bill Supports Water Testing and Treatment Access

By Blake Jackson

U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have introduced the bipartisan Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act, known as the Healthy H2O Act, to support water testing and treatment for individuals and non-profits in rural areas.

This legislation is designed to help communities with limited resources identify and reduce harmful contaminants in their water supply.

In Wisconsin, increasing contamination of water and soil by harmful substances such as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) has raised significant concern.

However, smaller communities often lack both the tools and funding necessary to test for and eliminate these chemicals.

“All Wisconsin families, businesses, and communities should trust that the water coming out of their faucets is safe to drink, but across our state, rural communities are struggling to identify and treat chemicals like PFAs that endanger our health, especially for children,” said Senator Baldwin.

“My bipartisan legislation ensures our small and rural communities aren’t left behind and makes sure they have what they need to find and get rid of dangerous chemicals and keep our families healthy.”

“Maintaining and upgrading water and wastewater systems is vital to ensuring the economic and environmental health of our communities,” said Senator Collins.

“This bipartisan legislation will help reduce health-based contaminants like PFAS in drinking water, increase consumer confidence, and protect public health.”

Under the proposed act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture would provide grants directly to individuals and non-profits in rural areas-specifically communities with fewer than 10,000 residents for water testing and for installing point-of-use or point-of-entry water treatment systems.

Contaminants of concern include PFAS, lead, arsenic, nitrates, VOCs, and hexavalent chromium-6. By expanding access to testing and treatment technologies, the Healthy H2O Act aims to improve drinking water safety and protect public health in small and underserved communities.

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