EPA grants $5.6M for Alaska lead service line inventory

The U.S. EPA has announced a $5,681,921 Lead Service line Inventory grant to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

The grant comes through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). It will be used to conduct lead service line inventory of 269 public water systems designated as Tribal or Small Disadvantaged systems. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law mandates that 49 percent of funds provided through the DWSRF must be provided to disadvantaged communities.

The work will also identify potential funding needs for the Tribal Lead Service Line Replacement Program and the Alaska State Revolving Fund Lead Service Line Replacement Funds for small disadvantaged public water systems.

“We know there is no safe level of lead and that remote tribal and underserved communities are particularly vulnerable where basic lead testing can be prohibitively expensive,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “This funding is an important step forward for these communities and will help them protect their children from lead exposure and ensure clean and safe drinking water, a basic human right.”

Alaska has approximately 200 villages that are reachable only by air or boat. The grant will help water systems in Alaska’s disadvantaged communities comply with EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions requirement by October 16, 2024.