Western Water Infrastructure Fairness Act

The Western Water Infrastructure Fairness Act modifies federal funding rules for rural water projects to provide greater financial assistance to economically disadvantaged communities. Specifically, it increases the federal share of project costs from the standard rate to 90 percent for projects that benefit these designated communities. This change directly affects rural water systems serving low-income populations by reducing the financial burden they must bear for infrastructure improvements. The legislation relies on an existing definition of economically disadvantaged communities established in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 to determine eligibility.