EPA announces grant program for states to support lead testing in school and childcare drinking wate

Last week, letters were mailed to governors announcing the funding for a new drinking water grant under the Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation Act, passed in December 2016 and appropriated by Congress in fiscal year 2018. The Lead Testing in School and Child Care Program Drinking Water Grant will assist local educational agencies in voluntary testing for lead contamination in drinking water at schools and child care programs. The grant program is designed to reduce exposure of children, who are most vulnerable, to lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities, utilizing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools guidance or equivalent state program. The newly revised 3Ts guidance is expected to be released next month.

The non-competitive grant will include $20 million in funding focused on lead testing in schools and child care programs, with a set-aside of $1.2 million for tribal education authorities. In the letter to the governor, interested states are being asked to submit letters of intent to the EPA by January 11, 2019 (deadline has been extended to Feb. 11), identifying the specific state agency that will administer the program. Those agencies will be eligible to submit a grant proposal.

To learn more about the grant program and what to include in the letter of intent, states are encouraged to attend one of the following webinars: