‘From Russellville to Capitol Hill:’ Hill testifies at Congressional hearing

When hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage spill into the Potomac River, which supplies most of the drinking water for 
Washington, D.C., Congress takes notice.

And that’s exactly what happened in the aftermath of the Potomac Interceptor sewer pipe collapse in mid-January.

It took more than two weeks for the massive leak to be contained.

That incident was at the heart of a February 24, 2026, hearing held by House Subcommittee on Environment, which operates as part of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

And at the forefront of that hearing was Russellville Water and Sewer Board General Manager Eric Hill, the first of four witnesses to testify at the hearing titled “From Source to Tap: A Hearing to Examine Challenges and Opportunities for Safe, Reliable and Affordable Drinking Water.”

The 25-member Congressional subcommittee received testimony from individuals representing the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Resources Defense Council and managers from a large water district and a rural water district. 

Hill was the rural water district representative and his testimony, including an opening statement, led off the 2.5-hour Congressional hearing.

Not only did Hill represent the Russellville Water and Sewer Board, he appeared before Congress representing the National Rural Water Association, the NRWA’s Board of Directors and the Alabama Rural Water Association.

The EPA, through the Safe Drinking Water Act, regulates contaminants found in public drinking waters and administers the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), a vital funding source for rural water systems like Russellville’s.

Hill’s testimony was dually important not only to stress the importance of funds received through the DWSRF, but also to share the challenges faced by small, rural water systems, which are held to the same environmental regulations as the larger utilities.

“Congress votes to renew funding every year,” Hill said. “The State Revolving Funds are a loan to us and when we pay that money back, it stays in the state and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) reloads those funds, so they never leave Alabama.

“Those funds are used 100% for infrastructure and improvements to water systems in Alabama,” Hill added.

The Russellville Water and Sewer Board relies on those funds for projects critical to providing and maintaining safe drinking water, including a massive upgrade to the Highway 243 booster station that pumps more than 50% of the utility’s water.

Hill gave a five-minute opening statement and answered questions from subcommittee members, including an explanation of the dangers of per- and polyfluouralkyl substances, or PFAS, man-made pollutants that can contaminate water systems.

“When PFAS are dumped into the water and you bring that water into your plant and discharge it, you are the polluter,” Hill said. “We want circular exemption, meaning we don’t have liability for those pollutants.”

A pending House resolution, HR1267, would change that by releasing certain water systems from PFAS liability, shifting the financial liability to the source responsible for the PFAS pollutant.

Hill’s testimony was critical not only regarding continued federal funding, but also to stress the importance of HR1267. 

“I realized there was a lot of weight on my shoulders (at the February 24th hearing), so I tried not to disappoint. But at the end of the day I just had to be me. We are a small utility in Northwest Alabama and I didn’t stray from that in my testimony,” Hill said.