The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 10, awarded the Washington State Department of Health (WA DOH) a $787,000 formula grant effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028, under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Small and Underserved Communities Emerging Contaminants Grant Program (CFDA 66.442). This award funds drinking water program assistance to small, underserved, and disadvantaged communities in the Lower Yakima Groundwater Management Area to achieve compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). WA DOH will utilize the grant funding to identify, design, and implement water infrastructure projects that consolidate properties currently served by groundwater wells experiencing elevated nitrate concentrations, while also decommissioning contaminated wells.
The anticipated deliverables include infrastructure designs, associated regulatory permits, and the construction of infrastructure improvements to consolidate and upgrade water service for affected residents. WA DOH will execute one or more subgrant awards to public water systems within the Lower Yakima Groundwater Management Area to execute project activities. The expected outcomes include a safer and more reliable drinking water system for area residents, with environmental benefits extending to the greater region through remediation of groundwater contamination and elimination of contaminated water sources.