Reducing Lead in Drinking Water (SDWA 1459B)

The grant program funds activities to reduce lead in drinking water in disadvantaged communities through infrastructure and/or treatment improvements or facility remediation in schools and child care facilities. The goal of the program is to address

The grant will support efforts to reduce lead in drinking water through drinking water infrastructure improvements and/or optimization of drinking water treatment at a drinking water system, and/or facilities remediation at schools and childcare facilities in disadvantaged communities. It is a priority to support lead reduction projects at drinking water systems that have exceeded the lead action level during the last three years or at school, daycare, or other facilities that primarily serve children or other human subpopulations that are vulnerable to environmental health risks.

Eligible applicants include community water systems; water systems located in an area governed by an Indian Tribe; non-transient non-community water systems; qualified nonprofit organizations servicing a public water system; municipalities; and state, interstate, or inter-municipal agencies. Individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible to apply. The EPA may ask applicants to demonstrate that they are eligible for funding under this announcement. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy.

The priority is to benefit disadvantaged communities, which are defined as "the service area of a public water system that meets affordability criteria as established by each State under section 1452(d)(3) of the SDWA."

Grants and Cooperative agreements are available to support recipient's allowable direct costs in approved scopes of work plus allowable indirect costs, in accordance with EPA policies and regulations. Funds are provided to eligible applicants to carry out projects and activities in disadvantaged communities that are needed for infrastructure and/or treatment improvements or facility remediation in schools and child care facilities. The goal of these projects is to address conditions that contribute to increased concentrations of lead in drinking water, especially in disadvantaged communities, communities with drinking water systems that have demonstrated lead action level exceedances in the preceding three years, or in schools and/or child care facilities. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: Geospatial Resources at EPA.

The term of the grant shall be determined at the time of grant award.

Intergovernmental review applies to this assistance listing when proposed financial assistance involves, planning, design or construction of drinking water infrastructure and/or treatment improvements or facility remediation in schools and child-care facilities. EPA financial assistance programs and activities subject to intergovernmental review that are subject to review under State single point of contact procedures are identified at https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-financial-assistance-programs-subject-executive-order-12372-and-section-204. Applicants for programs or activities subject to Intergovernmental Review that are not subject to State single point of contact review must provide directly affected State, areawide, regional, and local entities at least 60 days to review their application following notification by EPA that the application has been selected for funding as provided by 40 CFR 29.8(a) and (c). EPA awards grants and cooperative agreements based on competitive applications submitted in response to EPA solicitations. Regarding pre-application assistance with respect to competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the NOFO. For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed in the NOFO.

The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this assistance listing will be described in the NOFO.

For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the NOFO. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements.

For competitive awards, deadlines will be specified in the NOFO.

Approximately 180 days.

Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). Copies of these procedures may also be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/grant-competition-dispute-resolution-procedures.