Michael S. Regan 16th Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency | Official Website
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced an allocation of $28.6 million from President Biden's Invest in America agenda to aid Puerto Rico in identifying and replacing lead pipes to prevent exposure to lead in drinking water. This announcement is part of the latest round of funding under President Biden's commitment to replace all the country's lead pipes, thereby protecting public health and ensuring safe drinking water supply.
Lead can cause a range of serious health effects, including irreversible damage to children's brain development. To protect children and families, President Biden has committed to replacing all the country's lead pipes. Today's announcement, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and available through the EPA's successful Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), takes another significant step towards advancing this work and environmental justice.
Working collaboratively, the EPA and State Revolving Funds are promoting President’s Justice40 Initiative as exposure to lead disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities and low-income families. The total funds announced through this program so far are expected to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, ensuring clean drinking water for countless families.
"The science has made it clear; there is no safe level of exposure to lead, and the primary source of harmful exposure in drinking water is through lead pipes," commented EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "President Biden understands that it is crucial to identify and eliminate 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."
"All Puerto Rican families deserve safe drinking water when they open the tap, and this important injection of funds will further reinforce work towards achieving that goal," indicated EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. García.
Representative Jenniffer González-Colón noted that continuous exposure to lead in drinking water poses a serious risk to people's health, especially children. She expressed her pleasure that Puerto Rico will receive $28.6 million in funds for the replacement of lead water service pipes under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The ambitious initiative of the Biden-Harris Administration to eliminate lead pipes has already yielded significant results for families across the country. Today's latest funds will ensure that more Puerto Rican families benefit from these unprecedented resources and support projects like these.
For more stories on how the unprecedented investments of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are transforming communities across the country, visit Invest in America's Water Infrastructure Narrative Outline. For more information on some additional projects underway, consult EPA's recently published Quarterly Report on Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF Projects Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and explore the State Revolving Funds Public Portal.
Today's allocations are based on EPA's updated 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, which includes an assessment of unique update submissions. To date, these are the best available data collected and evaluated on service pipe materials in the United States.
For more information, including state-by-state funding allocation for 2024 and a breakdown of EPA's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, visit EPA's Drinking Water website.
