A bill to require the provision of alternative drinking water to households whose private drinking water is contaminated with perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid substances from activities of the Department of Defense.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3445 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3445

 To require the provision of alternative drinking water to households 
           whose private drinking water is contaminated with 
perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid substances from 
                activities of the Department of Defense.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 11, 2025

  Mr. Peters introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the provision of alternative drinking water to households 
           whose private drinking water is contaminated with 
perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid substances from 
                activities of the Department of Defense.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PROVISION OF ALTERNATIVE DRINKING WATER TO HOUSEHOLDS WHOSE 
              PRIVATE DRINKING WATER IS CONTAMINATED WITH 
              PERFLUOROOCTANESULFONIC ACID AND PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACID 
              SUBSTANCES FROM DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsections (b) and (c), on and after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
offer alternative drinking water to a household if--
            (1) the household is downgradient from a military 
        installation;
            (2) the household receives water from one or more private 
        drinking water wells where contamination from detections of 
        perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid 
        substances resulting solely from activities of the Department 
        of Defense, as determined by the Secretary, carried out at such 
        military installation has, at one point in time, exceeded the 
        maximum contaminant level for such substances established by 
        the Environmental Protection Agency; and
            (3) as of the date of the enactment of this Act, another 
        household located in the same community was eligible for 
        alternative drinking water provided by the Secretary by reason 
        of contamination from detections of perfluorooctanesulfonic 
        acid and perfluorooctanoic acid substances resulting from 
        activities of the Department carried out at the same military 
        installation.
    (b) Coordination With Other Authorities.--The Secretary of Defense 
shall carry out this section in a manner that is consistent with the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) and the authorities of the Secretary 
under environmental law, including by prioritizing and coordinating the 
efforts of the Secretary under subsection (a) with other efforts to 
address releases of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic 
acid.
    (c) Exception.--The Secretary is not required to offer or provide 
alternative drinking water to a household under subsection (a) if--
            (1) the household is part of a community, as determined by 
        the Secretary, where all the households in the community that 
        have been affected by contamination from detections of 
        perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid 
        substances resulting from activities of the Department have 
        been connected to a municipal drinking water distribution 
        system; or
            (2) the Secretary has otherwise taken action under the 
        Comprehensive, Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
        Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) to reduce 
        drinking water exposures, including by meeting the relevant 
        Federal or State drinking water standards for 
        perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid 
        substances.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``alternative drinking water'' includes--
                    (A) provision of bottled water;
                    (B) connection to public water systems for members 
                of the public using private wells; and
                    (C) provision of filtration systems for private 
                residences.
            (2) The term ``Federal drinking water standard'' means an 
        enforceable Federal standard for drinking water, as described 
        in section 121(d)(2)(A)(i) of the Comprehensive Environmental 
        Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 
        9621(d)(2)(A)(i)).
            (3) The terms ``maximum contaminant level'' and ``public 
        water system'' have the meanings given those terms in section 
        1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f).
            (4) The term ``private drinking water well'' means a 
        drinking water well that is not a public water system and is 
        not connected to a public water system.
            (5) The term ``State drinking water standard'' means an 
        enforceable State standard, in effect in that State, for 
        drinking water, as described in section 121(d)(2)(A)(ii) of the 
        Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
        Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9621(d)(2)(A)(ii)).
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