Grants to La. to ID lead in water

DALLAS - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded $321,498 to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals to help identify sources of lead in drinking water in schools and childcare facilities. The funding will help protect children in disadvantaged communities and makes progress on implementing the federal action plan to reduce childhood lead exposures. “We are taking additional steps to identify and reduce lead contamination in schools across the county,” said EPA Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “Preventing children from exposure to lead is an important public health priority for this administration.” Under EPA’s Voluntary Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care grant program, EPA has awarded $43.7M in grants towards funding the implementation of testing for lead in drinking water. Reducing lead in drinking water in schools will be used by Louisiana to assist schools in implementing lead in drinking water testing including identifying sources of lead such as fountains. In addition, the agency is taking other significant actions to modernize aging water infrastructure and reduce exposure to lead. (Source: EPA 02/20/20) https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-awards-louisiana-grant-reduce-childhood-exposures-lead-drinking-water