To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to provide grants to owners and operators of publicly owned treatment works for use complying with requirements regarding the treatment of emerging contaminants, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Scholten (for herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Stevens, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Public Utility Remediation and Enhancement for Water Act (PURE Water Act) creates a new EPA grant program to help public water treatment facilities address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water. It authorizes $200 million per year for fiscal years 2026-2028 to fund the planning, design, and construction of treatment systems.
Who Benefits and How
Publicly owned water treatment facilities benefit most directly, receiving federal grants covering at least 75% of project costs to upgrade their systems for treating PFAS ("forever chemicals") and other emerging contaminants. This significantly reduces the financial burden on local water utilities.
Communities served by these facilities benefit from cleaner drinking water as their local treatment plants gain the resources to remove harmful substances that current infrastructure cannot adequately handle.
Water treatment technology companies stand to gain new business opportunities as treatment plants invest in upgraded equipment and systems.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers bear the cost of this program, with $600 million authorized over three years. However, the grants require at least 25% matching from local sources.
The EPA must establish and administer this new grant program within 180 days, adding to their regulatory workload.
State water pollution control agencies may see increased coordination responsibilities as local utilities apply for and implement these federal grants.
Key Provisions
- Establishes a new EPA grant program for publicly owned treatment works to address PFAS and emerging contaminants
- Authorizes $200 million annually for fiscal years 2026-2028 (total $600 million)
- Requires the federal government to cover at least 75% of project costs
- Allows the remaining 25% to come from various sources including state revolving funds, in-kind services, or private funds
- Applies the same administrative requirements as existing state water pollution control revolving fund projects
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
The bill aims to enhance water quality by directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator to establish a grant program for publicly owned treatment works, focusing on emerging contaminants like perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
This Act may be cited as the Public Utility Remediation and Enhancement for Water Act.
Amends Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act by adding a new section directing the EPA Administrator to establish a grant program for publicly owned treatment works, focusing on emerging contaminants like perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Directs the EPA Administrator to establish a program for awarding grants to owners or operators of publicly owned treatment works, focusing on emerging contaminants like perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology