The agreement provides assistance to illinois department of public health to implement a program of voluntary testing for lead in drinking water at local schools and child care centers

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 awarded the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) a $2.03 million Project Grant under the Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program (CFDA 66.444) effective January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2029. The grant funds a comprehensive voluntary testing and remediation program for lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities across Illinois. IDPH will implement testing activities consistent with EPA's 3Ts guidance (Communicate, Train, Test, Take Action), targeting approximately 150 vulnerable schools with lead levels above 15 parts per billion (ppb) and 1,000 schools and child care facilities overall, with 20% of tested taps anticipated to require follow-up post-mitigation sampling. Key deliverables include public communication and education regarding lead health risks, staff training on lead testing and mitigation, laboratory testing using certified protocols, and development of response plans for addressing elevated lead contamination.

IDPH designated Elevate Energy, a non-profit organization, as the primary sub-awardee responsible for program coordination and technical delivery. Elevate Energy administers the LeadCare Illinois program, providing bilingual education and free testing services to licensed child care facilities and schools, with expanded scope to include mitigation reimbursement support prioritizing facilities with high lead levels, those serving children age six and under, and communities with recent lead action level exceedances. Mitigation services include replacement of water fountains and associated plumbing, plumbing reconfiguration to bypass lead sources, and replacement of lead pipes, valves, and solder joints. Elevate Energy delivers education through online workshops, instructional videos, fact sheets, and a dedicated lead in water hotline, with follow-up services ensuring proper implementation of mitigation strategies and validation testing.

Specifically, the recipient anticipates testing: - 150 vulnerable schools with lead level above 15PPB; - 1,000 schools and day care facilities to be tested; and - 20% of the taps to require additional sampling (e.g. follow-up post-mitigation sampling).activities:idph will utilize dcfs administrative rules and epas 3TS guidance (WWW.EPA.GOV/safewater/3TS) to implement this project. This includes efforts to 1) communicate results and important information to the public, parents, teachers, and the larger community throughout the implementation of the project; 2) train on risks associated with lead in drinking water, lead testing, and development of key partnerships to support the project; 3) test using appropriate testing protocols and a certified laboratory; and 4) take action, including the development of a plan for responding to results of testing conducted and addressing potential elevated lead where necessary.subrecipient:non-competitive grant to provide project coordination and education to meet the following project objectives: 1) provide education about lead in water and the importance of testing; 2) provide instructions and resources for lead in water testing in all licensed day care facilities and targeted schools; 3) coordinate testing with the laboratory including electronic sample management; 4) provide education regarding mitigation of lead hazards in drinking water; 5)provide lead remediation/mitigation services including replacement of water fountains and related plumbing, plumbing RE-configuration (e.g., adding a bypass from the lead source), replacement of leaf pipes/valves joint with lead solder, and removal; 6) provide follow-up services to ensure proper implementation of mitigation strategies and follow-up testing.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include targeting of disadvantaged and underserved communities, creation of educational materials for isbe, dcfs day care providers and dcfs field licensing agents designed to explain the consequences of lead in water, the importance of lead in water testing, and sampling protocol, creation of a lead in water reporting template used to submit lead testing result to both dcfs and idph, creation of an electronic mechanism to allow day cares to register for testing, request sampling supplies, and generate shipping labels and chain of custody paperwork, creation of a dcfs-approved lead in water training program for owners and operators of dcfs-licensed facilities designed to satisfy the dcfs lead in water training certification requirement, creation, maintenance, and use of parental notification and public notification templates for use by dcfs-licensed facilities, creation, and distribution of educational materials for isbe, dcfs day care providers and licensing agents designed to explain how to interpret lead testing results, select appropriate mitigation strategies, create a mitigation plan, and assess the validity of mitigation strategies, conduct mitigation strategies in accordance with the recommendations in the 3TS guidance. The intended beneficiaries include illinois schools and local educational agencies and child care programs.