[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 641 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 641

 Designating the week of April 7 through April 13, 2024, as ``National 
                             Water Week''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 15, 2024

  Mr. Sullivan (for himself, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Cramer, Mr. 
 Warnock, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Carper, and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Designating the week of April 7 through April 13, 2024, as ``National 
                             Water Week''.

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

    Resolved, That Congress hereby designates the week of April 7 
through April 13, 2024, as ``National Water Week''.
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