Excerpt from AP News
“The increased spending called for in the water bill goes to two longstanding programs that work like infrastructure banks — one for drinking water and the other for wastewater. Each program is set to get up to $14.65 billion over five years under the bill. It is expected to be paid for with routine government funding.
Supported by a broad range of interest groups, the bill enables water and wastewater systems around the to country use the money to fix leaky pipes, construct storage tanks and improve water treatment plants, to name just a few uses.
The bill also includes an array of grant programs, including to reduce lead in drinking water, turn waste to energy and make water systems more resilient to flooding and other extreme weather events. More than 40% of the bill’s investments are targeted to low-income and rural communities.”