The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that Kansas will receive $28.6 million under a federal project to identify and replace lead water service lines, preventing exposure to lead in drinking water.

The funding is from the Biden Administration’s “Investing in America Agenda,” which includes a commitment to replace every lead pipe in the country.  The funding is from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and available through EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).

Health officials have said that lead can cause a range of serious health impacts, including irreversible harm to brain development in children.   The EPA will be working to make sure that 40% of overall benefits from certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families. The total funding announced through this program to date is expected to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, securing clean drinking water for countless families.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Janet Stanek said in a press release, “This investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law gives Kansas the resources it needs to continue replacing water infrastructure that ultimately ensures safe drinking water, which is essential for the health and safety of all Kansans.”