Georgia getting $1.1 million to protect children from lead in school, childcare facility water

ATLANTA — On Thursday, the Biden-Harris Administration announced $26 million would be provided as grants to help protect children in the United States from lead in drinking water found at schools and childcare facilities.

Of the funds, Georgia will receive $1,152,000 to help pay for reduction programs and child care lead testing.

“For far too long, testing has been the main approach to lead in water. And widespread contamination has been found. Yet lead concentrations in water are so highly variable that even taps where no lead is detected can be ‘highly hazardous,’” Jennette Gayer, director of Environment Georgia Research & Policy Center said in a statement.

She also urged Georgia officials to use the resources while they’re available.

“The EPA is providing vital resources to help ensure that our kids have safe drinking water wherever they go to learn and play each day. Now, it is crucial that Georgia officials use that funding on actions that will actually get the lead out — such as installing filters and replacing old fountains with new water stations at school,” Gayer said.

The grants come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a bid to provide 55 states, territories and the District of Columbia a portion of the funds they need to reduce lead exposure where children go to school and play.

According to officials, the grants are part of a strategy to advance the goals of the administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan.

“The science is clear: There is no safe level of exposure to lead,” EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott said in a statement. “As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, this $26 million will help protect our children from the harmful impacts of lead. EPA is also investing $15 billion under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to remove lead pipes and is providing technical assistance to communities to help them develop and implement lead pipe replacement projects.”

Lead exposure is a severe risk for children, according to the EPA. It can have impacts on mental and physical development, slow down learning and can cause irreversible damage to the brain in children.

For adults, exposure can lead to increased blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function and even cancer.

“The funding announced today was authorized by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act and is provided to states, the District of Columbia, and participating territories as grants for lead testing and remediation in schools and childcare facilities,” according to officials. “Since 2019, the Voluntary School and Childcare Lead Testing and Reduction Grant has provided over $150 million in funding to conduct the testing and removal of lead sources in drinking water in schools and childcare facilities across the U.S.”