Michael S. Regan 16th Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency | Official Website
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced an allocation of $28.6 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to aid Puerto Rico in identifying and replacing lead service lines, thus preventing exposure to lead in drinking water. This move is part of the President's commitment to replace every lead pipe in the country, a pledge made with the aim of protecting public health and ensuring safe drinking water for all.
Lead exposure can result in serious health impacts, including irreversible damage to brain development in children. The funding for this initiative comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will be made available through EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
EPA and the State Revolving Funds are working together to advance the President’s Justice40 Initiative as communities of color and low-income families are disproportionately affected by lead exposure. The total funding announced through this program is expected to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, securing clean drinking water for countless families.
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said, “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.” He added that President Biden understands it is critical to identify and remove these pipes as quickly as possible.
“Every Puerto Rican family deserves safe drinking water when they turn on their tap,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. She emphasized that this significant injection of funds will further bolster efforts towards achieving this goal.
U.S. Representative Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon expressed her pleasure at Puerto Rico receiving $28.6 million in funding for lead water service line replacement under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. She highlighted that by replacing these outdated lines, we are improving water quality and protecting our communities' well-being for generations to come.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests a historic $15 billion to identify and replace lead service lines across the nation. 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.
The funding announced today will be provided specifically for lead service line identification and replacement. It will help every state and territory fund projects to remove lead pipes and reduce exposure to lead from drinking water.
In addition to the funding, EPA is also releasing a memorandum that clarifies how states can use this and other funding to most effectively reduce exposure to lead in drinking water. Furthermore, 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 Puerto Rico Department of Health’s project will utilize funds to further the health protection objectives of the Safe Drinking Water Act. This agreement will provide funds to replace lead drinking water service lines and help identify the planning, design, and replacement of service lines of customer-owned and PRASA-owned service lines.
For more information about EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, please visit EPA’s Drinking Water website.
