NEWS: Senators Blunt Rochester, Wicker Introduce Legislation to Improve Clean Water Access for Unincorporated Communities

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), both members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced the Unincorporated Partnerships for Grant Resources, Assistance, and Drinking Water Enhancements (UPGRADE) Act. This legislation would reauthorize critical programs geared toward improving small public water systems and make it easier for unincorporated communities to access federal funding to address clean water challenges.

"Clean water is a basic human necessity, and access to it shouldn't change depending on where you live," said Senator Blunt Rochester. "One of my proudest accomplishments in Congress was helping the unincorporated community of Ellendale get clean water, and I remember how hard it was to get the resources needed to make that happen. We must continue working to expand clean water access for every American. I am grateful to be working across the aisle to introduce theUPGRADE Act with Senator Wicker, and I look forward to working with our colleagues to move this legislation forward.

"No matter where you live in the United States, you should have access to clean drinking water," said Senator Wicker. "Reauthorizing funding for clean water programs would update public water systems, providing safe drinking water for more Americans. These resources benefit rural communities in Mississippi and will increase the clean water supply across the country."

In the United States, over two million people lack access to clean, safe, and reliable water in their homes. That gap creates serious public health and safety concerns for communities across the country. Unincorporated communities are especially susceptible. These areas, typically in rural regions, oftentimes rely on outdated and/or failing domestic wells and septic systems that produce water contaminated with dangerous environmental pollutants. Those communities, and the Americans who call them home, are the driving force behind this effort.

The UPGRADE Act would:

• Extend the authorization of the Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program to FY2031 to help communities take on clean water challenges.
• Make unincorporated communities a focus of this critical grant program to give states more resources to assist these areas in addressing their clean drinking water needs.

The UPGRADE Act is endorsed by the National Association of Counties (NACo), the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services, the Delaware Rural Water Association, the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP), the Environmental Justice Health Alliance, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), Earthjustice, the Rural Cooperative Assistance Partnership (RCAP), the Sierra Club, the Sussex Health & Environmental Network (SHEN), WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Dig Deep, the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Vessel Collective, and the American River Keepers Network.

A one pager on the bill is available here. Full text is available here.

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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.