CalMutuals and the Community Water Systems Alliance (CWSA) submitted a joint letter to the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee supporting S. 4812, the bipartisan FIRE SMART Act of 2026. The bill would explicitly open Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) financing–low-interest and principal-forgiveness loans – to rural water systems for wildfire-hardening projects, including upgrading pumps and flow capacity, adding backup power generators, installing remotely operated tanks for helicopter refilling, or upsizing pipes and storage, depending on what a given system needs.
In our comments, we were careful to note that water systems aren’t meant to be a primary defense against wildfire, but that these upgrades can meaningfully boost firefighting capacity to protect structures and property. We also flagged that the bill’s “rural” eligibility definitions vary by program and may not clearly capture small systems sitting between the wildland-urban interface, such as the systems affected in the Eaton Fire, and urged the authors to clarify eligibility for those systems. Separately, it was asked that the Committee fund the DWSRF at its full authorized level of $3.25 billion and route congressionally directed water projects to funding sources outside the DWSRF so the already oversubscribed program isn’t stretched further.
Many small, rural mutual water companies can’t otherwise afford wildfire-hardening upgrades, and the flexible, low-interest financing this bill would unlock, along with clear eligibility for wildland-urban interface systems, is designed for systems just like our members’.