Water Emergency and Technical Assistance Act of 2026

This bill aims to strengthen federal support for water infrastructure emergencies by amending the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. It reauthorizes and expands emergency technical assistance programs to protect public health from water-related crises. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the legislation reauthorizes emergency technical assistance, increasing the annual appropriation to $50,000,000 for fiscal years 2027 through 2031. This assistance is specifically for situations where necessary actions would not be economically feasible for ratepayers . Furthermore, the bill establishes new authority under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act for the Administrator to provide emergency technical assistance and grants to States or publicly owned treatment works. These funds address emergencies, including those from cybersecurity events , that pose a substantial danger to public health, such as contaminant exposure from sewer overflows. Grants are authorized for activities essential for public health mitigation that would otherwise be economically unfeasible, with an annual authorization of $50,000,000 for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.