$58M in federal grants intention to assist colleges, day care facilities take away lead from ingesting water
FILE – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questions Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a Senate Finance Committee hearing March 16, 2023 on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Biden administration announced nearly $60 million in grants to help schools and daycares remove lead from drinking water at an event Monday, July 24 in Boston. Warren said the grants would help create “durable, resilient water systems.”
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
BOSTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced $58 million in grants to help schools and daycares remove lead from drinking water at an event Monday in Boston.
The grants will help local communities test drinking water for lead, identify potential sources of contamination and take action to address the problem, said Radhika Fox, deputy water manager for the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Reducing lead in drinking water is a top priority for the Biden-Harris administration,” Fox said. This included providing technical assistance to disadvantaged communities to protect children from lead in drinking water, she said.
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US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said the grants would help create “durable, resilient water systems.”
“Students and families in Massachusetts will have peace of mind knowing that the water in our schools is safe and free of dangerous toxins like lead,” the Democrat said.
Lead in water remains a nuisance nationwide. Lead can cause brain damage, and the EPA says no amount is safe for children.
The Biden administration has set a goal of removing all of the country’s leaded water lines. The $15 billion from the bipartisan lead pipe works infrastructure bill will help significantly, but it won’t be enough to solve the problem.
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The EPA is also outlining new powers that the bipartisan Infrastructure Act will provide for funding activities to remove lead sources in drinking water.
This includes actions aimed at the removal, installation and replacement of internal plumbing, lead pipe or plumbing, faucets, fountains, water filling stations, point-of-use devices and other lead-free devices related to drinking water.
