Roger Wicker
Legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) on Friday would ensure that rural communities have technical training and resources needed to meet federal wastewater treatment standards.
Wicker and U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) teamed up to introduce the Small and Rural Community Clean Water Technical Assistance Act to authorize two new initiatives that would improve wastewater treatment in rural areas.
One initiative would provide $15 million per year over a five-year period in technical assistance to help small communities operate affordable and effective wastewater treatment systems. Another provision would enable states to set aside 2 percent of Clean Water State Revolving Funds to help rural communities comply with federal rules.
“Addressing local water needs is an important but challenging responsibility for small and rural communities,” Wicker said. “They often incur much higher costs and have fewer resources than larger communities even though their water systems are held to the same standards. This bill would help hundreds of smaller communities in Mississippi — and thousands across the nation — by providing on-site technical assistance and education.”
In 2015, Wicker and Heitkamp successfully led the Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act to be signed into law. That bill provides $15 million in annual support for technical assistance to improve the quality of drinking water in rural communities.
“Fighting for rural America is my priority every day in the U.S. Senate, which includes making sure wastewater in rural communities is treated appropriately so our towns remain safe,” Heitkamp said.
“Our bipartisan bill to improve wastewater treatment builds on legislation we introduced last Congress — which was signed into law — to make sure rural water systems have the help they need so local communities get clean water,” she said.