EPA announces new funding for North Carolina to protect children from lead in drinking water
Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Contact: EPA Region 4 Press Office – (404) 562-8400, region4press@epa.gov
RALEIGH (June 18, 2024) – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a new grant totaling more than $1 million to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for lead testing in schools and daycare centers. The new funding will be highlighted at an event in Durham today where EPA Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle will join Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, U.S. Representative Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams, and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s ongoing commitment to protect public health and deliver safe drinking water for all Americans.
“At EPA, our mission is to protect all people and our planet, and fulfilling that mission requires that every single person in this country – especially our children – have clean water to drink when they turn on their tap,” said EPA Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle. “Last year, Durham was awarded $1 million dollars for a lead service line inventory Field Verification Project for disadvantaged areas; this year alone, North Carolina was alloted more than $200 million dollars through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with more than $76 million dollars of that funding to be used specifically for lead pipe identification and replacement; and EPA has awarded over $2 million dollars to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to test for lead in drinking water in schools and childcare facilities. Because in order to get the lead out, its essential that we know where the remaining service lines are.”
“Today, we are excited to welcome EPA Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff to Durham, NC,” said Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams. “This visit exemplifies the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued commitment to ensuring that families in Durham and across the country have access to safe, lead-free drinking water. We are grateful for this commitment and welcome continued investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.”
The State of North Carolina will use this award to assist with continuing to implement its program to test for lead contamination in drinking water at all licensed childcare centers including Head Start/pre-Kindergarten programs in elementary schools. The Department of Health and Human Services’ goal is to reduce lead exposure by utilizing the Environmental Protection Agency’s 3Ts: Training, Testing, and Taking action. The program works with childcare centers to provide education about lead and mitigation recommendations, and they have initiated a second round of follow up testing to understand the changes in lead exposure over time, post remediation and education.
“Every child, no matter where they live, deserves clean and lead-free drinking water,” said Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04). “Thanks to the Biden Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, North Carolina will receive nearly $1.3 million in federal funding to continue testing for lead in drinking water in schools and childcare facilities across the state. Lead in water is never acceptable, and I am incredibly pleased to see significant investments being made to better protect the health of our children and our communities.”
“Ensuring the health and safety of our children is a top priority and why we are committed to rigorous lead testing in our schools and childcare centers,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. “I am grateful to our federal and state partners that help us in detecting and eliminating potential exposure that guarantees the safety of our children. This is public health in action – working together to for the health and well-being of North Carolinians.”
Lead can cause a range of serious health impacts, including irreversible harm to brain development in children. To protect children and families, President Biden has committed to replacing every lead pipe in the country.
Working collaboratively, EPA and the State Revolving Funds are advancing the President’s Justice40 Initiative to ensure that 40% of overall benefits from certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families. The $9 billion in total funding announced to date through EPA’s Lead Service Line Replacement Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program is expected to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, securing clean drinking water for countless families.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests a historic $15 billion to identify and replace lead service lines. The law mandates that 49% of funds provided through the DWSRF General Supplemental Funding and DWSRF Lead Service Line Replacement Funding must be provided as grants and forgivable loans to disadvantaged communities, a crucial investment for communities that have been underinvested in for too long. EPA projects a national total of 9 million lead services lines across the country, based on data collected from the updated 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment.
The Lead Service Line-specific formula used to allot these funds allows states to receive financial assistance commensurate with their need as soon as possible, furthering public health protection nationwide. The formula and allotments are based on need — meaning that states with more projected lead service lines receive proportionally more funding.
EPA has developed new outreach documents to help water systems educate their customers on drinking water issues, health impacts of lead exposure, service line ownership, and how customers can support the identification of potential lead service lines in their homes.
For more information on North Carolina’s lead testing in water and paint in schools program: https://www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org/
For more information on recent grant funding for North Carolina’s lead in water hazard mitigation program: https://www.cleanwaterforuskids.org/en/carolina/about_funding/
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Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-new-funding-north-carolina-protect-children-lead-drinking-water
