America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA) is a

United States federal law The law of the United States comprises many levels of Codification (law), codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the supreme law is the nation's Constitution of the United States, Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the ...

, enacted during the

115th United States Congress The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January ...

, which provides for water infrastructure improvements throughout the country in the areas of: *

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

navigable waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other ways. A first distinction is necessary betw ...

s *

water resources Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either Fresh water, freshwater from natural sources, or water produ ...

development * maintenance and repair of

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

s and

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

s *

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

restoration *

public water system Public water system is a regulatory term used in the United States and Canada, referring to specific utilities and organizations providing drinking water. United States The US Safe Drinking Water Act and derivative legislation define a "public wa ...

s * financing of improvements *

hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...

development * technical assistance to small communities. The law also reauthorizes the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 (WIFIA) which provides expanded financial assistance to communities under the

Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the primary respo ...

and

Safe Drinking Water Act The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the primary federal law in the United States intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. Pursuant to the act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set standards for drinking wa ...

. These programs are administered by the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...

(EPA).

Summary of current EPA actions

* Modifications to the

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the primary federal law in the United States intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. Pursuant to the act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set standards for drinking wa ...

* Community Water System risk and resilience assessments * Implementation of amendments to the

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 is a United States federal law passed by the 99th United States Congress located at Title 42, Chapter 116 of the U.S. Code, concerned with emergency response preparedness. On Octobe ...

* Administration of funding for the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act grant programs * Development of

infrastructure asset management Infrastructure asset management is the integrated, multidisciplinary set of strategies in sustaining public works, public infrastructure assets such as water treatment facilities, Sewage, sewer lines, roads, utility grids, bridges, and railways. G ...

and capacity development strategies for state agencies and public water systems.

Upcoming EPA actions

* Water System Restructuring Rule * Small System Report to Congress

SWIFIA

Section 4201 of the Act authorised the creation of the state infrastructure financing authority WIFIA (SWIFIA) program. This is a loan program established to support State infrastructure financing authority borrowers, administered by EPA.EPA
What is SWIFIA?
updated June 13, 2022, accessed January 22, 2023

Minneapolis Courthouse

Also included in the law is the designation of the United States courthouse located at 300 South Fourth Street in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, as the "Diana E. Murphy United States Courthouse".

References

External links

America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018PDFdetails
as amended in the GPObr>Statute Compilations collection

America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018PDFdetails
as enacted in the US Statutes at Large {{United States environmental law Acts of the 115th United States Congress 2018 in the environment United States federal environmental legislation Water law in the United States Water pollution in the United States