The agreement provides assistance to indiana finance authority to implement a program of voluntary testing for lead in drinking water at local schools and child care centers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 awarded $1,256,000 to the Indiana Finance Authority under the Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program (CFDA 66.444) for the period January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027. The award supports the continuation and expansion of the Lead School Program (LSP), a voluntary testing initiative designed to identify and mitigate lead contamination in drinking water at Indiana schools and child care facilities. Since 2017, the LSP has tested over 1,100 public schools and 500 child care centers; this award will enable testing of approximately 400 additional schools and 3,200 untested child care facilities.

The Indiana Finance Authority will deliver four core service components through the LSP: (1) Communication activities targeting child care facilities and school districts through websites, newsletters, emails, and presentations, with results shared with facility administrators, parents, and staff within one business day of availability; (2) Training on lead sources, public health risks, proper sampling techniques, and remediation strategies; (3) Testing activities utilizing EPA's 3Ts guidance (Train, Test, Take Action), with samples analyzed by certified laboratories and recorded in a centralized online database; and (4) Action coordination notifying participants of results and providing guidance on restricting access to fixtures with lead concentrations equal to or exceeding 15.0 parts per billion (PPB), with comprehensive remediation plans developed within five days of notification.

The IFA estimates since 2017 the LSP has assisted over 1,100 public schools and 500 child cares assess for the presence of lead in drinking water, and while some facilities have tested on their own, the IFA believes approximately 400 schools and 3,200 child cares remain untested. The award of this grant will enable the IFA to serve these untested facilities through the continuation of its LSP. Activities:the activities through the LSP program include: communication: the LSP's target audiences are childcare facilities and school districts. Important partners are local health departments and local drinking water utilities that serve these facilities. The IFA will advertises using websites, newsletters, emails, paper letter and presentations. When sampling results are available, they are provided in the administrative officer, posted on the facilities website and parents and staff are notified. Training: the IFA uses the LSP as an opportunity to train participants about the sources of lead in drinking water and public health risks of lead in drinking water, in addition to the proper lead sampling techniques and remediation strategies. Testing: all sampling plans and sample collection under the IFA's LSP utilize EPA's 3TS guidance. The contractor's partner laboratories, which are certified to test lead in drinking water, also follow approved processes and methods to analyze samples for lead. All samples collected under this program are coded and recorded using an online database, which serves are the IFA's LSP's data repository. Taking action: LSP participants are notified of results within one business day of them becoming available. The notification includes messaging about immediately restricting access to fixtures with results equal to or greater than 15.0 PPB. Within five days, a 120WATER remediation technician sends a facility-specific remediation plan with long-term suggestions. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:expected outputs for the IFA's LSP include: 1. Development of lead testing and, if needed, remediation plans for drinking water in schools and childcare facilities that supports a robust training, testing, monitoring, communication, remediation, and maintenance plan protecting children from lead exposure now and in the future. 2. Widespread use of the EPA's 3TS guidance in establishing school and childcare testing programs. The IFA and the indiana department of environmental management already use the EPA's 3TS to guide their programs. 3. Prioritization of lead testing to target vulnerable communities and populations. This includes schools and childcare programs that serve disadvantaged communities (e.g., facilities that serve low-income populations, schools with at least 50% of the children receiving free and reduced lunch, head start and early head start facilities), elementary and childcare programs that primarily care for children 6 years and under, and facilities built before 1988, which as are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures, and solder. 4. Public availability of results of any lead testing conducted in school and childcare facility carried out using grant funds within 30 days of receiving results. Facilities are required to post results in the school or childcare facility administration offices and, to the extent practicable, on the internet website for inspection by the public, and notify parent, teacher, and employee organizations of the availability of the results. 5. Reduction of lead sources (e.g., fixtures and lead plumbing) in drinking water in school and childcare facilities. 6. Development of partnerships with state and local agencies and nongovernmental organizations that support schools and childcare programs