EPA Announces $28.7 Million for Nevada Lead Pipe Replacement to Advance Safe Drinking Water

EPA Announces $28.7 Million for Nevada Lead Pipe Replacement to Advance Safe Drinking Water

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in Agenda America, EPA announces the latest round of funding toward President Biden's commitment to replace every lead pipe in the nation, protecting public health and helping to deliver safe drinkin

May 2, 2024

Working collaboratively, the EPA and Nevada are advancing the President's Justice40 Initiative to ensure that 40% of overall benefits from certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities overburdened by lead exposure and pollution. Lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income communities. To date, the total funding announced through this program is expected to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, securing clean drinking water for countless families.

"Every single person living in Nevada deserves access to clean, safe drinking water and a guarantee that they and their loved ones will be protected from lead contamination," said Martha Guzman, EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator. "Thanks to President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is investing an unprecedented amount of funding to replace these harmful lead service lines, with communities at the greatest risk of lead poisoning prioritized."

"It's critical that all Nevadans have access to clean drinking water," said U.S. Senator Jackie Rosen. "I'm proud to have helped secure millions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to find and replace lead pipes in our state in order to deliver safe drinking water to families and communities across Nevada."

"Every Nevadan should have access to safe drinking water, which is why I've fought to deliver these federal funds across the Silver State," said U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. "I'm proud to see we are investing in Nevada's water infrastructure, and I'll continue working to keep Nevada families healthy."

"The EPA is making historic investments in clean water infrastructure across the United States, and I am pleased to see $28.6 million coming to Nevada," said U.S. Representative Dina Titus (NV-1). "This announcement is made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I championed in the House and will increase access to safe drinking water for all communities. This critical funding will help our state replace lead service lines, which will improve health outcomes."

"Today's announcement of $28+ million for lead pipe replacement in Nevada demonstrates our commitment to safeguarding the health of our communities," said U.S. Representative Steven Horsford (NV-4). "This funding will ensure that Nevadans across the state have access to safe, clean drinking water. I'm proud that we are taking steps to address infrastructure inequities that have burdened marginalized communities for far too long."

"Every Nevadan and American deserves access to safe, clean drinking water, and this investment is critical to delivering on that promise," said U.S. Representative Susie Lee (NV-3). "This new investment to secure clean drinking water for our families was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I was proud to help negotiate and pass. I will keep working across the aisle - in Nevada and in Washington - to make sure that our families continue to benefit from investments like these for the long haul."

"The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection [NDEP] enthusiastically supports the EPA's efforts to eliminate lead-based materials from drinking water service lines in Nevada's public water systems," said NDEP Administrator Jennifer Carr. "We are still in the process of identifying communities that need our assistance with this effort. As the October 2024 deadline approaches for water utilities to identify lead service lines in their systems, Nevada stands ready to assist communities with program resources provided by the US EPA through the State Revolving Fund program and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law."

President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $15 billion to identify and replace lead service lines. The law mandates that 49% of funds provided through the DWSRF General Supplemental Funding and DWSRF Lead Service Line Replacement Funding must be provided as grants and forgivable loans to disadvantaged communities, a crucial investment for communities that have been underinvested in for too long. EPA projects a national total of 9 million lead service lines across the country, based on data collected from the updated 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment. The funding announced today will be explicitly provided for lead service line identification and replacement. It will help every state and territory fund projects to remove lead pipes and reduce exposure to lead from drinking water.

The Lead Service Line-specific formula used to allot these funds allows states to receive financial assistance commensurate with their need as soon as possible, furthering public health protection nationwide. The formula and allotments are based on need - meaning that states with more projected lead service lines receive proportionally more funding.

Alongside the funding announced today, EPA is also releasing a new memorandum that clarifies how states can use this and other funding to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water most effectively. Additionally, EPA has developed new outreach documents to help water systems educate their customers on drinking water issues, health impacts of lead exposure, service line ownership, and how customers can support identifying potential lead service lines in their homes.

To view stories about how the unpreceded investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are transforming communities across the country, visit EPA's Investing in America's Water Infrastructure Story Map. To read about some projects underway, see EPA's recently released Quarterly Report on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funded Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF projects and explore the State Revolving Funds Public Portal.

Today's allotments are based on EPA's updated 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA), which includes an assessment of newly submitted information. This is the best available data collected and assessed on service line materials in the United States. Later this summer, EPA will release an addendum to the 7th DWINSA Report to Congress, including the updated lead service line projections. EPA anticipates initiating data collection, consisting of information on lead service lines, for the 8th DWINSA in 2025.

For more information, including state-by-state allotment of 2024 funding and a breakdown of EPA's lead Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, please visit EPA's Drinking Water website.

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