Emergency Rural Water Response Act of 2025

The Emergency Rural Water Response Act of 2025 would broaden and boost federal support for emergency water needs in rural areas. It amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand what grants can cover, increasing the maximum grant amount and allowing funding for a wider set of water-related infrastructure projects (including potable water, wastewater, storm drainage, and solid waste facilities). It also adds a temporary regulatory relief under the Clean Water Act: during the six months after a state declares a disaster or emergency, discharges from portable water treatment and filtration facilities used to provide clean water would not require an NPDES permit. Together, these changes aim to speed up and expand rural communities’ ability to respond to water emergencies and recover from disasters.