(AGENPARL) – gio 02 maggio 2024 Issued: May 2, 2024 (11:10am EDT)
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Biden-Harris Administration announces over $28 million for Connecticut lead
pipe replacement to advance safe drinking water as part of Investing in
America agenda
EPA announces latest round of funding toward President Biden’s commitment to
replace every lead pipe in the nation, protecting public health and helping to
deliver safe drinking water
BOSTON (May 2, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
announced $28,650,000 from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to
help Connecticut identify and replace lead service lines, preventing exposure
to lead in drinking water. 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. Today’s announcement, funded by the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law and available through EPA’s successful Drinking Water
State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), takes another major step to advance this work
and the Administration’s commitment to environmental justice. This funding
builds on the Administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and EPA’s
Get the Lead Out Initiative.
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
total funding announced through this program to date is expected to replace up
to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, securing clean drinking water for
countless families.
“The science is clear, there is no safe level of lead exposure, and the
primary source of harmful exposure in drinking water is through lead pipes,”
said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden understands it is
critical to identify and remove lead pipes as quickly as possible, and he has
secured significant resources for states and territories to accelerate the
permanent removal of dangerous lead pipes once and for all.”
“Our goal is simple, yet essential: to assure that everyone has clean, safe
drinking water. That’s why identifying and replacing lead service lines is
crucial; it can protect our communities, especially the most vulnerable, from
lead exposure,” said EPA Regional Administrator David W. Cash. “New
England has some of the oldest housing stock in the country, and no one—no
matter where they live—should have to worry about lead in their drinking
water and what comes out of the tap. This funding from the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law provides the much-needed resources to help deliver on that
promise—to replace every lead pipe and ensure clean, safe drinking water for
all.”
“This $3 billion is a major step toward preventing lead contamination in our
drinking water. Lead can cause irreversible health problems, especially in
children, and it is absolutely critical that we replace harmful lead water
lines with safe alternatives. I am thrilled to see that $28.6 million of this
incredible investment by the Biden Administration will come to Connecticut and
will keep fighting for more federal dollars to ensure healthy and clean
drinking water for all, said Senator Richard Blumenthal.”
“No one in our state should have to think twice before drinking their own
tap water,” said Senator Chris Murphy. “This $28.6 million federal grant
from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will go a long way to replace our old
lead pipes so every family in every zip code has reliable access to clean,
safe drinking water.”
“The Connecticut Congressional delegation worked together to secure
significant investments in upgrading our state’s clean water infrastructure
through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the first-ever federal
program dedicated to replacing lead service pipes,” said Rep. John B.
Larson. “The nearly $29 million in funding we secured for Connecticut will
allow communities across the state to identify and replace lead service lines
and take steps to reduce lead exposure in drinking water. I remain committed
to ensuring safe drinking water is accessible to everyone, regardless of
income or zip code.”
“Every community deserves access to clean drinking water. This latest
investment by the Biden administration to replace outdated and dangerous lead
pipes will directly impact the people of Connecticut and improve water quality
in traditionally marginalized communities,” said U.S. Representative Jahana
Hayes. “Once again, we are seeing the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
deliver for Connecticut, and I look forward to the tangible benefits these
investments will bring to the health and safety of our communities.”
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which
sets water quality standards for the nation’s drinking water and establishes
a framework to safeguard the public health and safety of U.S. citizens,”
said Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. “The lead service lines that connect
the home to the water main are typically the most significant source of lead
in drinking water, and we estimate that there are thousands of lead service
lines in Connecticut that need to be replaced.  Having this funding available
to our cities and towns is another example of a successful collaboration
between federal and state governments that will ultimately benefit the health
and wellness of our residents.”
“The timing of the release of these State Revolving Funds comes at the
perfect time since Drinking Water Week is recognized from May 5th to May
11th,” said Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha
Juthani, MD. “Eliminating lead in our homes and drinking water is a top
priority for DPH. Excessive lead intake, whether through drinking water or
other sources, can lead to severe health issues, including brain and kidney
damage, and can disrupt the production of red blood cells that transport
oxygen throughout the body. The greatest risk of lead exposure is to infants,
young children, and pregnant women. Connecticut is home to superior drinking
water quality, largely due to a robust infrastructure and committed water
professionals who monitor and protect water quality and safety. These funds
will enable us to continue to improve the quality of drinking water for all
the residents of Connecticut.”
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 funding announced today will be provided specifically for
lead service line identification and replacement and will help every state and
territory fund projects to remove lead pipes and reduce exposure to lead from
drinking water.
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.
Alongside the funding announced today, EPA is also releasing a new memorandum
that clarifies how states can use this and other funding to most effectively
reduce exposure to lead in drinking water. Additionally, 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.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious initiative to remove lead pipes
has already delivered significant results for families across the nation.
Today’s latest funding will ensure more families benefit from these
unprecedented resources, and support projects like these:
The Metropolitan District Commission has received $1,360,535 through the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to inventory lead service lines within their
water service area.
The Town of Putnam has received $425,000 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law to develop a detailed electronic database and mapping component of the
system’s water service lines and develop a Lead Service Line Replacement
Program Plan, conducting public outreach, conducting inventory verification,
developing a computerized hydraulic model, and flushing program.
To view more stories about how the unpreceded investments from the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law are transforming communities across the country, visit
EPA’s Investing in America’s Water Infrastructure Story Map. To read more
about some additional projects that are underway, see EPA’s recently
released Quarterly Report on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funded Clean Water
and Drinking Water SRF projects and explore the State Revolving Funds Public
Portal.  
Today’s allotments are based on EPA’s updated 7th Drinking Water
Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA) including an assessment of
newly submitted information. To date, this is the best available data
collected and assessed on service line materials in the United States. Later
this summer, EPA will release an addendum to the 7th DWINSA Report to Congress
which will include the updated lead service line projections. EPA anticipates
initiating data collection, which will include information on lead service
lines, for the 8th DWINSA in 2025.
For more information, including state-by-state allotment of 2024 funding, and
a breakdown of EPA’s lead Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, please visit
EPA’s Drinking Water website.
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