Vermont gets $117,000 to implement program to test school drinking water for lead

Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the State of Vermont $117,000 to use to help implement Act 66- the state program requiring testing for lead in school drinking water. This money was awarded to the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC) through the voluntary Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation, or WIIN, Act Testing in Schools and Childcare Program grant program.

“Understanding where exposure to lead is occurring is a critical first step in reducing blood-lead rates in children,” said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Szaro. “EPA’s WIIN Act Testing in Schools and Childcare Program is a terrific resource for states like Vermont to uncover and fix potential sources of lead in drinking water.”

“Reducing childhood lead exposure in Vermont is a priority,” said Bryan Redmond, Director of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division. “Implementing Act 66 across the state has helped us work to make sure Vermont students aren’t being exposed to lead in school drinking water.”

The WIIN Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care Program Grant program was introduced in 2019 with $43.7 million in grant funds and was expanded in 2021 with an additional $26.5 million in grant funds to states, territories, and tribes nation-wide. Since 2019, EPA has awarded over $8.3 million to the New England states, of that $412,000 has gone to Vermont.

In 2019, State enacted Act 66, requiring testing and remediation of lead in drinking water of schools and childcare facilities. The Act requires every outlet used for consumptive purposes at a school or childcare facility must be sampled for lead. The EPA WIIN Act funding helps implement Act 66 focusing on providing sampling at facilities with the most vulnerable populations, children and older facilities with lead-containing infrastructure.

Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) has formed a partnership with Dept. of Health, Dept. of Children and Families, and Agency of Education to keep the public informed and has provided notice letters to all students, staff, parents/guardians.

For more information on lead testing of drinking water: https://www.healthvermont.gov/response/environmental/lead-testing-drinking-water-schools-and-child-care-facilities-2019-20

Learn more about EPA Region 1: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-1-new-england

Source: BOSTON (Oct. 28, 2021) – The US Environmental Protection Agency 10.29.2021