Introducing the Water Access and Affordability Act of 2026
Whether talking about gas prices, electricity bills, food prices, or water, “affordability” is a centerpiece of kitchen table conversations today. One in seven people in the U.S. are struggling to afford their water bills, and the ramifications of not keeping up with your payments are profound. At River Network, we’ve been identifying and uplifting solutions at all levels of government, and applaud the recent introduction of the Water Access and Affordability Act (H.R. 8254) by Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI). This legislation would establish a permanent federal low-income drinking water assistance program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), amending Part E of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
An average of 20% of households are in debt to their water utility.
Building upon the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) that existed temporarily from 2021-2024, this legislation tackles several components of the water and wastewater affordability crisis through a holistic approach, including:
- Appropriating $20 billion annually for the next 10 years to carry out the program
- Providing financial assistance to low-income households and lowering barriers to accessing support, including through automatic enrollment
- Providing technical assistance to community water systems, with specific requirements aimed at developing the capacity of small and mid-size water systems
- Establishing annual data disclosure and reporting requirements to measure impacts of the program
- Providing an avenue for EPA to administer the program in states that are unwilling, or unable, to administer the program themselves
- Amending the public review and comment procedures of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, establishing a minimum 30-day comment period, among other changes.
Additionally, the legislation would ban water disconnections for households receiving assistance, eliminate fees and charges associated with late payments, unpaid bills, service initiation, or service reconnection. It would also establish Community Advisory Committees in each EPA region to provide advice and recommendations to implement the program.
Keep the Momentum Going
You can help support this legislation by reaching out to your Representative to support the Water Access and Affordability Act. We’ve developed a simple action alert for you to send a letter asking your US House Representative to co-sponsor and support the bill here.
The current co-sponsors as of April 16th are: Representatives Tlaib, Dingell, Cleaver (MO), DeLuzio (PA), Gomez (CA), Huffman (CA), Jacobs (CA), Jayapal (WA), Lee (PA), Mullin (CA), Norton (D.C.), Ramirez (IL), Thanedar (MI), and Velázquez (NY), and Garzia (IL).
Want to join the national movement for water affordability? Learn about joining the Water Equity and Climate Resilience Caucus here.
