Heinrich Fights For Expanded Funding For Small, Underserved Communities To Improve Access To Clean Drinking Water

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is fighting for a provision for additional funding for grants for small and underserved communities to access and improve clean drinking water in the bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA) of 2021. The bill also reduces the cost share, which makes the funding more accessible – especially to colonias and other communities in New Mexico. 

“Too many Americans do not have consistent access to clean drinking water,” said Heinrich. “That’s why I’m fighting for additional funding so that smaller communities and colonias in New Mexico can gain access to clean drinking water. The bipartisan nature of this legislation gives me hope that these efforts will gain more momentum as we move towards considering historic water infrastructure investments in President Biden’s American Jobs Plan.”

Senator Heinrich’s language boosts funding for the Assistance for Small and Disadvantaged Communities program from $60 million in fiscal year 2022 to $70 million. This program provides grants to disadvantaged communities or communities with a population of under 10,000 across the country, including those communities within the United States on our borders, which lack household drinking water or wastewater services, or that are served by a public water system that violates or exceeds a requirement of the national primary drinking water regulations.

Grants can be used to assist communities in coming into compliance with drinking water regulations, to provide programs for household water quality testing, or to provide assistance that directly and primarily benefits the disadvantaged community on a per-household basis.

Overall, DWWIA prioritizes underserved communities to help ensure the benefits of water infrastructure improvements are felt equitably across the country. This legislation strengthens drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, fosters economic growth, enhances the health and well-being of families across the nation, and addresses environmental justice.

President Biden’s American Jobs Plan will deliver clean drinking water, a renewed electric grid, and high-speed broadband to all Americans. President Biden’s plan will eliminate all lead pipes and service lines in our drinking water systems, improving the health of our country’s children and communities of color.