Rhode Island: EPA announces $336,000 in grants to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities
Biden-Harris Administration announced a total of $26 million across the United States to protect children from lead in drinking water where they learn and play
BOSTON (AUGUST 27, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced $26 million in funding, including $336,000 allotted for Rhode Island, to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities. This grant funding will be used to reduce lead exposure where children learn and play while advancing the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration's Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan.
"Every person, every child, deserves safe and clean drinking water. As students, staff, and teachers start returning to classrooms across New England, no one should have to worry whether the water their loved one drinks at school or daycare is safe," said EPA Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "This funding for testing water taps at schools and childcare facilities will help ensure that every child in Rhode Island can learn and grow in an environment free from the dangers of lead exposure. Coupled with the historic $15 billion investments under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to identify and replace lead pipes, we're working together with our partners to protect the health of our communities and to ensure a future for all of our children that is safe and lead-free."
"We must ensure every child has a safe and healthy environment to learn and grow. When kids drink from the water fountain at school or in day care they deserve clean, healthy water that passes every test. This new federal grant will help identify potential sources of contamination and remove lead from water in schools and child care facilities," said U.S. Senator Jack Reed. "This is a health and wellness issue and it is also an education issue because ensuring kids have access to clean, safe, lead-free water means they perform better in the classroom and get a healthy start to life."
"Exposure to even the smallest traces of lead can have serious lifelong health effects for children. That's why upgrading Rhode Island's water infrastructure and replacing old water pipes and service lines has been a high priority of mine since my days as Rhode Island Attorney General," said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who led Rhode Island's lawsuit against lead paint companies while serving as the state's attorney general. "This important federal investment will help make sure kids can safely drink water from the tap at school and at daycare."
"Every Rhode Islander should have clean water when they turn on the tap," said U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner. "This federal funding will help ensure children in schools and childcare facilities across our state have clean and safe drinking water."
"Ensuring lead-free water at our schools and childcare centers is critical to keeping our kids healthy," said U.S. Representative Gabe Amo. "This $336,000 federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency will expand testing and remediation to give parents and school leaders the peace of mind that drinking water at these facilities is safe for the youngest Rhode Islanders."
In children, lead can severely harm mental and physical development, slowing down learning, and irreversibly damaging the brain. In adults, lead can cause increased blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function, and cancer.
The funding announced this past week was authorized by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act and is provided to 55 states, the District of Columbia, and participating territories as grants for lead testing and remediation in schools and childcare facilities. Since 2019, the Voluntary School and Childcare Lead Testing and Reduction Granthas provided over $150 million in funding to conduct testing and removal of lead sources in drinking water in schools and childcare facilities across the United States.
The grant program requires recipients to use the 3Ts – Training, Testing and Taking Action – to reduce lead in drinking water. The 3Ts Program provides valuable resources for states, territories, and Tribes to take action on lead and protect children in early care and educational settings. Learn more about the 3Ts Program.
Learn more about EPA's Voluntary School and Childcare Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program.
EPA is also advancing its Get the Lead Out (GLO) initiative, which is partnering with underserved communities nationwide to provide the technical assistance they need to identify and remove lead service lines. GLO is specifically helping participating communities identify lead services lines, develop replacement plans, and apply for funding to get the lead out. Communities seeking to access GLO Initiative resources can request assistance by completing the WaterTA request form on EPA's WaterTA website.
Background
The Biden-Harris Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dedicated an unprecedented $15 billion to removing lead from drinking water. This funding can be used to deliver on the White House's Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan by encouraging federal, state, and local governments to use every tool to deliver clean drinking water, replace lead pipes, and remediate lead paint. It is especially critical to make improvements to places where children spend significant time such as schools, childcare centers, family childcare centers, preschools, and Head Start programs.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law builds on successful programs like the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act's Grant Programs to bring more benefits to communities across the country.