Number: RL33549
Title: Safe Drinking Water Act: Background and Issues in the 109th Congress
Authors: Mary Tiemann, Resources, Science, and Industry Division 
Abstract: In the 109th Congress, key drinking water issues involved water infrastructure funding and problems caused by specific contaminants, such as the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), perchlorate, and lead in drinking water. Congress last reauthorized the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1996, and although funding authority for most SDWA programs expired in FY2003, broad reauthorization bills were not proposed, as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states, and water systems remained focused on implementing the requirements of the 1996 amendments.
Pages: 20
Date: January 10, 2007