Whereas each community in the United States, both large and small, and urban, rural, and Tribal, deserves to have access to affordable, safe, and clean drinking water, sanitation, and other critical water infrastructure;

Whereas more than 2,000,000 people in the United States lack access to running water, indoor plumbing, or wastewater services;

Whereas small, rural, and disadvantaged community water systems struggle to make needed investments while keeping rates affordable;

Whereas Federal investment in core drinking water, wastewater, stormwater capture, sustainable desalination, and water recycling programs allow local utilities and the customers of those local utilities to have the resources to affordably improve in water reliability and meet Federal regulatory obligations;

Whereas source control is a critical first step to reducing emerging contaminants from entering water systems and the environment, along with advancing the state of the science on the risks of those contaminants, which is essential to protect public health;

Whereas water infrastructure projects often rely on specific products and technologies, and substitutions may not be readily available, so it is critical to consider the realities unique to the water sector, and the near-term challenges that water infrastructure projects face;

Whereas countless disadvantaged communities in the United States struggle to make needed investments in critical water infrastructure while simultaneously keeping rates affordable;

Whereas water research helps solve some of the most pressing challenges for the water sector, such as—

(1)

aging infrastructure;

(2)

emerging contaminants;

(3)

resiliency to extreme weather;

(4)

drought and water scarcity; and

(5)

significant shifts in population;

Whereas research and development aimed at finding cost-effective solutions to the most pressing challenges for the water sector—

(1)

create more resilient and effective water systems;

(2)

create new jobs and support thriving communities nationwide; and

(3)

result in improved public health and safety and promote equitable solutions throughout the United States; and

Whereas Congress and the executive branch should assist water utilities to ensure that those communities can continue to fulfill their core mission of protecting public health and the environment while supporting local economic growth by addressing challenges related to—

(1)

managing aging water infrastructure, and escalating operation and maintenance costs, supply chain disruptions, and workforce shortages;

(2)

addressing growing water quality impairments and regulations from emerging contaminants and nutrients; and

(3)

ensuring proper climate adaptation, system resiliency, and security measures are in place: Now, therefore, be it