Issued: May 2, 2024 (12:50pm EDT)
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U.S. Virgin Islands to Get Over $12 Million for Lead Pipe Replacement to Advance Safe Drinking Water
EPA announces latest round of funding toward President Biden's commitment to replace every lead pipe in the nation, protecting public health and helping to deliver safe drinking water
U.S. Virgin Islands - (May 2, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced close to $12.7 million from President Biden's Investing in America agenda to help the U.S. Virgin Islands identify and replace lead service lines, preventing exposure to lead in drinking water. Lead can cause a range of serious health impacts, including irreversible harm to brain development in children. Today's announcement, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and available through EPA's successful Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, takes another major step to advance this work and environmental justice, and bolsters the Administration's Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and EPA's Get the Lead Out Initiative.
Working collaboratively, EPA and the State Revolving Funds are advancing the President's Justice40 Initiative as lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families. The total funding announced through this program to date is expected to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, securing clean drinking water for countless families.
"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," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "President Biden understands it is critical to identify and remove 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."
Every Virgin Islands resident deserves safe drinking water, and this major injection of funding will further bolster the work to achieve that goal," said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "For too long, the urgent need to improve our drinking water systems has far outweighed the available funding, as evidenced in the recent drinking water situation on St. Croix. This crucial Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding is helping close that gap."
"The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law represents the largest investment in clean drinking water in American history. For the U.S. Virgin Islands, $12 million has been announced to provide clean and safe drinking water. This includes the first-ever dedicated federal funding to replace lead service lines. During the State of Emergency of 2023, various measures were put in place to address critical situations," stated Commissioner Jean-Pierre Oriol of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. "Given the recent funding allocations for lead service line replacement under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, it's crucial for DPNR and other relevant agencies to collaborate closely with the Water and Power Authority (WAPA) to upgrade the territory's water infrastructure. This collaboration ensures that lead service lines are replaced, water quality is improved, and residents have access to reliable services. By reaching communities across the U.S. Virgin Islands, including rural areas and historically underserved populations, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making critical investments that will enhance the lives of the people of the territory. Whether it's rebuilding roads, expanding internet access, or improving water quality, these investments are vital for the U.S. Virgin Islands' future."
President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests a historic $15 billion to identify and replace lead service lines. 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, a crucial investment for communities that have been underinvested in for too long. EPA projects a national total of 9 million lead services lines across the country, based on data collected from the updated 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment. The funding announced today will be provided specifically for lead service line identification and replacement and will help Virgin Islands fund projects to remove lead pipes and reduce exposure to lead from drinking water. This Lead Service Line-specific formula allows states to receive financial assistance commensurate with their need as soon as possible, furthering public health protection nationwide. To ensure that funding is used for lead service line related activities, LSLR allotments are based on need — meaning that states with more projected lead service lines receive proportionally more.
Alongside the funding announced today, 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. Additionally, 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 Biden-Harris Administration's ambitious initiative to remove lead pipes has already delivered significant results for families across the nation. To view stories about how the unprecedented investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are transforming communities across the country, visit EPA's Investing in America's Water Infrastructure Story Map. To read more about some additional projects that are underway, see EPA's recently released Quarterly Report on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funded Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF projects and explore the State Revolving Funds Public Portal.
Today's allotments are based on EPA's updated 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment including an assessment of the one-time update submissions. To date, this is the best available data collected and assessed on service line materials in the United States. Later this summer, EPA will release an addendum to the 7th DWINSA Report to Congress which will include the updated lead service line projections. EPA anticipates initiating data collection, which will include information on lead service lines, for the 8th DWINSA in 2025.
For more information, including state-by-state allotment of 2024 funding and a breakdown of EPA's lead Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, please visit EPA's Drinking Water website.
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