WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The White House is pumping millions of dollars into an effort to get lead out of the water in schools and child care centers.
On Thursday, the Biden administration announced $26 million in grants will go to states across the country to reduce lead contamination in drinking water.
John Rumpler is with the Clean Water Director for the Environment America Research & Policy Center. He says testing revels that lead contamination is a big, nationwide problem.
“Everywhere we go where there is available comprehensive data, we find widespread lead contamination of schools’ water.,” Rumplert said. “The good news is this is a problem we can solve.”
White House Principal Deputy Communications Director Herbie Ziskend says removing lead contamination is a big priority for the Biden administration.
“Half of America’s kids, half, could be exposed to lead. And there’s no safe exposure level for kids,” Ziskend said. “It could have a negative impact on a child’s health, on their brain, on their development.”
He says these grants are an important step in mitigating the issue.
“This is a big deal when it comes to children’s health and their well-being,” Ziskend said.
Rumpler applauds the new funding but says the challenge will be in how states use the money.
“Will states and schools use this money for the proven cost-effective measures to prevent lead contamination?” Rumpler asked.
From his perspective the best thing would be for schools to spend on solutions like installing filters at every tap and replacing old water fountains with new water stations. He argues that needs to happen instead of testing, which he says is redundant when we know lead contamination is so widespread.
“That’s not a good use of school money. Let’s just put the filters on and get the lead out,” Rumpler said.
You can see how much grant money the White House is allocating to each state and territory below:
