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Emergency Rural Water Response Act of 2025
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand eligibility for grants related to emergency water assistance, and for other purposes.
Summary
The Emergency Rural Water Response Act of 2025 expands federal grant programs for rural water infrastructure by broadening eligible uses to include wastewater treatment, storm drainage, and solid waste facilities. It increases the population cap for qualifying communities from 10,000 to 35,000 residents. The bill also exempts portable water treatment and filtration facilities from environmental discharge permit requirements during the six-month period following a state emergency declaration.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA)
3 cosponsors
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Jim Costa’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $25,300
- CALIFORNIA STRATEGIES $13,900
- FORHAN COMPANY $13,200
- SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY COLLEGE $11,300
- CDM $7,300
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Jim Costa → · Outside spending →
Actions (3)
- Aug 6, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. · house
- Aug 5, 2025 Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
- Aug 5, 2025 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 5, 2025
Mr. Costa (for himself and Mr. Edwards) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand eligibility for grants related to emergency water assistance, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Emergency Rural Water Response Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. EMERGENCY AND IMMINENT COMMUNITY WATER ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.
Section 306A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926a) is amended—
(1) in subsection (d)(1)—
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
“(C) for associated uses related to water resources infrastructure, including facilities for potable water, wastewater, storm drainage, or solid waste;”; and
(2) in subsection (e)(1)(A), by striking “10,000” and inserting “35,000”.
SEC. 3. NPDES PERMIT EXEMPTION.
Section 402(l) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1342(l)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(4) Emergency use of portable water treatment and filtration facilities.—During any 6-month period immediately following a declaration by a State of a disaster or state of emergency, no permit shall be required under this section by the Administrator (or the State, in the case of a permit program approved under subsection (b)) for discharges from a portable water treatment and filtration facility installed in the area covered by the declaration to provide clean water as needed to respond to conditions caused by the event that resulted in the declaration.”. <all>
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