The Test Your Well Water Act was introduced July 20 by Rep. Mike Gallagher, Reps. Dan Kildee, Antonio Delgado, Elissa Slotkin, and Ron Kind.
According to Congressman Mike Gallagher’s website, the bipartisan legislation would create an online tool on the U.S. EPA’s website for Americans with a private well to find resources to test their drinking water and understand the results. The tool aims to promote transparency and modernize access to EPA resources in an effort to educate Americans about their drinking water.
Nearly 43 million Americans get drinking water from private wells or sources that are not regulated, according to USGS.
“People deserve to know whether or not their water is contaminated by chemicals like PFAS,” said Rep. Gallagher in a statement on his website. “This bill creates an easy-to-use tool that not only allows individuals to test their drinking water, but also allows local officials to develop a better understanding of where contamination may be. I’m proud to join Rep. Kildee in introducing this common-sense, bipartisan legislation.”
The Test Your Well Water Act was originally introduced in the House of Representatives in March 2020 and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, reported La Crosse Tribune. No action after this original introduction has been taken until now, and its reintroduction came the same day that the Congressional PFAS Task Force held a press conference discussing the PFAS Action Act. The House passed this bill on July 21 and is now headed to the Senate.
The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) applauded the introduction of the Test Your Well Water Act. According to NGWA, the current bill’s language has already been incorporated in the INVEST Act.
“We applaud Congressman Kildee and Gallagher for their leadership in introducing the Test Your Well Water Act,” said National Ground Water Association CEO Terry S. Morse CAE, CIC in the NGWA press release. “This new tool will significantly increase water quality testing of private wells and will lead to healthier and safer communities. Water well owners are too often left out of the national discussion on improving water quality - so we are thankful for Congressmen Kildee and Gallagher’s efforts and look forward to working with Congress to pass this bill.”
Click HERE for bill text.
