PIERRE – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8 announced $426,000 in grant funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities across the state.
Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), activities that remove sources of lead in drinking water are now, for the first time, eligible to receive funding through the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN). This grant funding, which is provided to states, territories, and Tribes, advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and unprecedented commitment to delivering clean water for all communities, especially historically marginalized and low-income communities.
“Ensuring that our children and our most vulnerable communities have access to clean drinking water is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and EPA. These additional funds will expand on existing lead remediation programs and help to improve public health in South Dakota,” said EPA Mountains and Plains Regional Administrator KC Becker. “By amending existing clean water programs through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and supporting them with historic infrastructure investments, EPA is taking unprecedented action to protect all our children from lead in drinking water.”
As a part of the $58,000,000 in appropriations for this program, EPA also released a revised grant implementation document that contains detailed information on how EPA will award and administer grants that support eligible actions, such as those for remediation or replacement activities. The Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program funds voluntary lead testing, compliance monitoring, and for the first-time, lead in drinking water remediation projects. Lead remediation actions may include but are not limited to the removal, installation, and replacement of internal plumbing, lead pipes or lead connectors, faucets, water fountains, water filler stations, point-of-use devices, and other lead-free apparatus related to drinking water.
The grant funding announced today is provided to states, territories, and Tribes through the WIIN. The grant program requires the use of guidance from EPA’s 3Ts (Training, Testing, and Taking Action) Program to support schools and childcare facilities in making progress on reducing lead in drinking water. Tools and resources from the 3Ts Program help states, territories, and Tribes provide technical assistance and take action to support the health and safety of children in early care and education settings. The program also helps advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which is helping address environmental injustice by ensuring that the benefits of federal investments in clean water, clean energy, and other programs reach communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.
Today’s announcement advances the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and EPA’s Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities. Under these initiatives, EPA is developing the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements to strengthen the Agency’s regulatory framework. EPA intends to propose requirements that, along with other actions, would result in the replacement of all lead service lines as quickly as is feasible. EPA is also investing $15 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to remove lead service lines. In addition to the dedicated funding for lead service line removal, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides another $11.7 billion in general funding through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that can also be utilized for lead removal projects.
Learn more about the Biden-Harris Administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and EPA’s Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities.
Background
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is dedicating an unprecedented $15 billion to removing lead from drinking water. The Voluntary School and Childcare Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program complements these funds to further reduce lead in drinking water. Under this grant, EPA allocates funds to eligible states and territories based on a formula that includes factors for population, disadvantaged communities, and lead exposure risk. For more information, visit: WIIN Grant: Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program.
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