The U.S. Senate has passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2016. The legislation contains the Water Systems Council's top federal priority, The Water Supply Cost Savings Act. It was passed on a vote of 95 to 3.

"The Water Supply Cost Savings Act will help rural and small communities across America significantly lower the total cost of providing clean drinking water to residents as well as provide new jobs," says Steve Anderson, WSC president and president of Merrill Manufacturing Co.  "The fact that these communities can realize up to a 75 percent cost savings by using water wells versus municipal pipeline systems demonstrates that we can cost-effectively meet our nation's critical water needs while supporting domestic manufacturing and jobs."

The Savings Act aims to reduce federal, state and local costs of providing high-quality drinking water to millions of Americans in rural communities by facilitating the use of cost-effective alternatives like water well systems. The inclusion of the Savings Act in WRDA 2016 marks a fundamental recognition by Congress of the critical role that wells and well systems will play in providing affordable, quality drinking water to millions of Americans. 

The Water Systems Council has been engaged in a multi-year campaign to educate members of Congress on the importance of wells and well systems in meeting America's drinking water challenges. The recent vote in the U.S. Senate suggests that policymakers are listening.  

Other WSC members weighed in on the significance of this legislation:

, a Xylem brand: "The Savings Act is an opportunity to change the way communities think about water supply systems,” says Susan O'Grady, global communications segment leader with Goulds Water Technologies. “Every American has the right to clean and safe drinking water, and well water systems are a great way to affordably ensure that it is available. … The only thing lacking here is the awareness that wells are an option."

The Water Systems Council will now turn its attention to the U.S. House of Representatives and to ensuring that the Savings Act is in the WRDA 2016 that ultimately lands on the President's desk.

The Water Systems Council works to protect groundwater and to ensure private well users in the U.S. have safe, reliable drinking water. For more information, visit www.watersystemscouncil.org.