BALTIMORE, MD—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $513,000 in grant funding to the Maryland Department of the Environment through the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN) to assist with identifying sources of lead in drinking water in schools and child care facilities.

“Protecting children from exposure to lead is a priority for EPA,” said Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “This funding will support Maryland’s efforts to detect and reduce lead in drinking water, thereby protecting children’s health at schools and elsewhere.”

Under WIIN’s new Voluntary Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care grant program, EPA has awarded $43.7 million in grants towards funding the implementation of testing for lead in drinking water. This funding is a resource which creates or expands programs to test for lead in drinking water at schools and child care programs in states and the District of Columbia.

In Maryland, the Department of the Environment will use EPA’s funding to support voluntary testing for lead in drinking water at schools and child care centers.

EPA’s 3Ts (Training, Testing, and Taking Action) for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools will be used by the grantee to assist schools in implementing lead in drinking water testing including identifying sources of lead such as fountains.

Testing results carried out using grant funds must be made publicly available.

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