EPA announces available funding to improve drinking water for schools, small & disadvantaged communities

New York eligible for $3.7 million in funding

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability of nearly $87 million in grant funding to assist states, tribes and territories with improving drinking water. New York is eligible to receive up to $3.7 million in available funding.

“EPA is committed to ensuring all Americans, regardless of their ZIP code, have access to safe and clean drinking water,” Administrator Andrew Wheeler said. “With these grants, EPA is fulfilling its core mission of providing states, tribes and territories with the resources needed to protect children from lead exposure and other contaminants, and ensure all American families have safe drinking water.”

States, tribes and territories are eligible to receive funding from two new EPA drinking water grant programs established by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN):

•Under EPA’s new voluntary lead testing in schools and child care grant program, EPA will award $43.7 million in grants to fund testing for lead in drinking water at schools and child care programs. Testing results carried out using grant funds must be made publicly available. New York is eligible for $1.96 million of this funding.

•Under EPA’s new assistance for small and disadvantaged communities grant program, EPA will award $42.8 million in grants to support underserved communities with bringing public drinking water systems into compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Funding can also be used for conducting household water quality testing, including testing for unregulated contaminants. New York is eligible for $1.74 million of this funding.

Under the Trump Administration, EPA has taken significant actions to modernize aging water infrastructure and reduce exposure to contaminants in drinking water:

In 2018, the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds committed $9.6 billion in drinking water and clean water infrastructure loans and refinancing, and disbursed $8.8 billion for drinking water and clean water infrastructure.

Over the past year, EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program has issued eight loans totaling over $2 billion in WIFIA credit assistance to help finance over $4 billion for water infrastructure projects.

EPA is undertaking the first major overhaul of the Lead and Copper Rule since 1991. EPA anticipates releasing the proposed rule in summer 2019.

For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/safewater/grants.