Durham Schools, Daycares Could Benefit from EPA Grant
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has 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.
This funding was highlighted at an event in Durham on Tuesday 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 showcased the Biden-Harris administration’s ongoing commitment to public health and safe drinking water.
“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 Gettle. “Last year, Durham was awarded $1 million for a lead service line inventory Field Verification Project for disadvantaged areas; this year alone, North Carolina was allotted more than $200 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with more than $76 million of that funding to be used specifically for lead pipe identification and replacement; and EPA has awarded over $2 million to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to test for lead in drinking water in schools and childcare facilities.”
“Today, we are excited to welcome EPA Acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff to Durham, N.C.,” Williams said. “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 continue 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 using the EPA’s 3Ts: Training, Testing, and Taking action. The program works with childcare centers to provide education about lead and mitigation recommendations and has 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,” Foushee said. “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,” Kinsley said. “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.
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.
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