The Senate and House committee leadership agreed on America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 on September 10, and just recently President Trump signed that bill into law on October 23. As part of the act, Congress authorized the Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense program. According to a press release published by Business Wire, the program is a public-private partnership that determines "water-efficient performance measures" and plumbing products that can be used for supplying water to homes and businesses in the U.S.

The Irrigation Association has been a strong supporter of the program. "We now look forward to working with elected officials to ensure WaterSense remains a strong, market-enhancement program for water-efficient technologies and services," stated John Farner, government and public affairs director of IA.

Included in the water infrastructure bill is the expansion of water storage capabilities, the authorization of federal funding for water infrastructure projects and the reauthorization of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program valued at $50 million per year for two years.

Farner continued, "The IA thanks congressional leadership for spearheading this strong bipartisan legislation...We look forward to these programs being implemented and creating real results for our nation's aging water infrastructure."