HONOLULU (KHON2) — Is Hawaii’s drinking water safe? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has just received $28,650,000 to make sure it will be.
The money comes from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda which aims to assist in identifying and replacing lead service lines, preventing exposure to lead in drinking water.
“Every single person living in Hawai’i 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.”
Lead can cause a range of severe health impacts, including irreversible harm to brain development in children.
The goal is to ensure 40% of overall benefits from certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities, including those overburdened by lead exposure and pollution.
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.
For more information, including state-by-state allotment of 2024 funding and a breakdown of EPA’s lead Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, visit EPA’s Drinking Water website.
