Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
A New Path to Achieving Health-Based Drinking Water Standards
Author
Timothy J. Hopkins
Author Bios (long)

Timothy J. Hopkins, Esq., is Founder & Principal Expert Witness of Hopkins Expert Services.

Date
March 2026
Volume
56
Issue
2
Page
10105
Type
Comment(s)
Summary

For decades, regulatory economists have warned that rate-of-return regulation creates perverse incentives: utilities profit from capital investment, so they “gold-plate” by overbuilding. But what if that same incentive structure could drive public health protection? What if the profit motive could close the gap between regulatory minimums and health-based goals?

Related Cases and Articles
MCLGs in Water Contamination Litigation: Why Health-Based Standards Matter
MCLGs in Water Contamination Litigation: Why Health-Based Standards Matter
Author
Timothy J. Hopkins
Author Bios (long)

Timothy J. Hopkins, Esq., is Founder & Principal Expert Witness of Hopkins Expert Services.

Date
February 2026
Volume
56
Issue
1
Page
10037
Type
Comment(s)
Summary

Despite their fundamental importance, maximum contaminant level goals (MCLGs) remain overlooked in regulatory policy and litigation strategy. EPA establishes MCLGs for every contaminant under a national primary drinking water regulation, but these non-enforceable health goals rarely receive deserved attention. More troubling, as states increasingly adopt their own drinking water standards for emerging contaminants, many fail to establish corresponding MCLGs. This Comment addresses the importance of MCLGs in three contexts -- regulatory policy, water system management, and litigation strategy -- and offers recommendations for regulators, water suppliers, and courts.

S. 3465
Update Type
Bills Introduced
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3465
Committee Name
Committee on Environment and Public Works
Sponsor Name
Blunt Rochester
Sponsor Party Affiliation
D-Del.
Update Issue
35
Update Volume
55
Congress Number
119
Congressional Record Number
171 Cong. Rec. S8671

would amend the SDWA to reauthorize technical assistance to small public water systems and the assistance for small and disadvantaged communities program.

H.R. 5868
Update Type
Bills Introduced
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5868
Committee Name
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Sponsor Name
Wilson
Sponsor Party Affiliation
D-Fla.
Update Issue
31
Update Volume
55
Congress Number
119
Congressional Record Number
171 Cong. Rec. H4559

would amend the SDWA to provide grants under the Drinking Water Infrastructure Risk and Resilience Program for training programs relating to protecting public water systems from and responding to cyberattacks.

H.R. 4880
Update Type
Bills Introduced
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4880
Committee Name
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Sponsor Name
Crenshaw
Sponsor Party Affiliation
R-Tex.
Issue
10
Volume
55
Update Issue
22
Update Volume
55
Congress Number
119
Congressional Record Number
171 Cong. Rec. H3679

would amend the SDWA to clarify the requisite timeline for making a decision on the approval or disapproval of a state underground injection control program.

S. 2505
Update Type
Bills Introduced
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2505
Committee Name
Committee on Environment and Public Works
Sponsor Name
Sullivan
Sponsor Party Affiliation
R-Alaska
Issue
9
Volume
55
Update Issue
22
Update Volume
55
Congress Number
119
Congressional Record Number
171 Cong. Rec. S4818

would amend the SDWA to clarify the requisite timeline for making a decision on the approval or disapproval of a state underground injection control program.

H.R. 4556
Update Type
Bills Introduced
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4556
Committee Name
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Sponsor Name
Cleaver
Sponsor Party Affiliation
D-Mo.
Issue
9
Volume
55
Update Issue
21
Update Volume
55
Congress Number
119
Congressional Record Number
171 Cong. Rec. H3526

would amend the SDWA to require the Administrator of EPA to seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to carry out a rapid response evidence review of proposed rules relating to fluoride.

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