Since the law was first enacted, much progress has been made in assuring the quality of public water supplies. EPA has regulated some 91 drinking water contaminants, and more regulations are pending. Despite this progress, drinking water safety concerns and challenges remain. In the 111 th Congress, the House passed H.R. Safe Drinking Water Act Issues

Recent drinking water safety issues have included the gap between infrastructure funding needs and spending; the capacity of public water systems, especially small systems, to comply with a growing set of complex standards; and the contamination of water supplies by unregulated contaminants, such as perchlorate and various pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Issues involving the act's groundwater protection provisions include proposals for large-scale storage of carbon dioxide deep underground to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the increased reliance on hydraulic fracturing to develop domestic oil and natural gas resources, and the potential impacts these activities might have on underground sources of drinking water. Bills were introduced on these issues in the 111 th Congress. Congress last reauthorized appropriations for most SDWA programs in the 1996 amendments, through FY2003. As with other EPA-administered statutes having expired funding authority, Congress has continued to appropriate funds annually for SDWA programs. 111-380 . This legislation revised the act's definition of lead free (Section 1417(d)) to reduce the amount of lead allowed in water pipes, plumbing fittings, and fixtures to 0.25%. 111-5 ) provided $2 billion for drinking water infrastructure projects through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program; the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 ( P.L. 111-88 ), provided $1.387 billion for the program. In 2007, EPA completed revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). H.R. Taking another approach, H.R. Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs and Funding

A persistent SDWA issue concerns the ability of water systems to construct or upgrade infrastructure to comply with drinking water regulations and, more broadly, to ensure the provision of a safe and reliable water supply. In the 1996 amendments, Congress responded to growing complaints about the act's unfunded mandates and authorized a drinking water state revolving loan fund (DWSRF) program to help water systems finance infrastructure projects needed to meet drinking water standards and address the most serious health risks. This would be a new requirement for the states under the DWSRF program, and the provision has been problematic for similar legislation in recent Congresses. 3202 ) was offered to establish a dedicated water infrastructure trust fund. In the face of uncertainty over increased federal assistance for water infrastructure, EPA, states, communities, and utilities have been examining alternative management and financing strategies to address SDWA compliance costs and broader infrastructure maintenance and repair costs. Underground Injection Control Program

Most public water systems rely on groundwater as a source of drinking water, and the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act authorized EPA to regulate the underground injection of fluids (including solids, liquids, and gases) to protect underground sources of drinking water. In July 2008, EPA proposed regulations to create a nationally consistent framework for managing the underground injection of CO 2 for geologic sequestration purposes, thus taking a step toward providing certainty to industry and the public about requirements that would apply to this activity. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ( P.L. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA; P.L. Hydraulic fracturing is a technique that has enabled the production of natural gas and oil from unconventional formations, which represent an increasingly important source of domestically produced hydrocarbons. Companion bills H.R. Senate. Report to accompany S. 1005 . Report No. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Much progress has been made in assuring the quality of public water supplies since the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was first enacted in 1974. Public water systems must meet extensive regulations, and water utility management has become a much more complex and professional endeavor. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulated some 91 drinking water contaminants, and more regulations are pending. In 2007, the number of community water systems reporting no violations of drinking water standards was 89.5%. Despite nationwide progress in providing safe drinking water, an array of issues and challenges remain.
Recent issues have involved infrastructure funding needs, regulatory compliance, and concerns caused by detections of unregulated contaminants in drinking water, such as perchlorate, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Another issue involves the adequacy of existing regulations (such as the lead rule) and EPA's pace in reviewing and potentially revising older standards (such as the chromium standard).
Congress last reauthorized SDWA in 1996. Although funding authority for most SDWA programs expired in FY2003, Congress continues to appropriate funds annually for these ongoing programs, while EPA, states, and water systems continue efforts to meet current statutory requirements. The 111th Congress made one amendment to SDWA, P.L. 111-380, which reduces the amount of lead allowed in water pipes and plumbing fittings and fixtures.
An overarching SDWA issue concerns the cumulative cost and complexity of drinking water standards and the ability of water systems, especially small systems, to comply with standards. The issue of the affordability of drinking water regulations has merged with the larger debate over what is the appropriate federal role in assisting communities with financing drinking water projects needed for SDWA compliance, and for water infrastructure improvements generally.
Water infrastructure financing legislation has been offered repeatedly in recent Congresses to authorize higher funding levels for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program, and/or to provide grants and other compliance assistance to small communities. In the 111th Congress, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5) included $2 billion for the DWSRF program, and the EPA appropriations act for FY2011 (P.L. 111-88) included another $1.387 billion. Two bills to revise and reauthorize the DWSRF received action: House-passed H.R. 5320 and Senate-reported S. 1005. Taking an alternative financing approach, H.R. 3202 proposed to create a water infrastructure trust fund supported by fees and taxes.
The SDWA also mandates regulation of underground injection activities to protect drinking water sources. An issue in this area concerns the underground injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) for long-term storage as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-140) specified that sequestration activities shall be subject to SDWA underground injection control provisions. In 2010, EPA issued a SDWA rule to provide a national permitting framework for managing the underground injection of CO2 for commercial-scale sequestration projects. Another underground injection issue concerns the growing reliance on hydraulic fracturing to produce natural gas and oil from unconventional geologic formations. Two bills (H.R. 2766 and S. 1215, the FRAC Act) were introduced to authorize EPA regulation of this practice under the SDWA underground injection control program; in contrast, H.R. 2300 expressed opposition to federal regulation of gas and oil production wells under SDWA.