Residents of Connecticut can look forward to improved essential drinking water infrastructure in their communities, as it has been revealed that the state is set to receive $73.5 million from the Environmental Protection Agency. Of the said federal boost, $7.6 million was earmarked for emerging contaminants, $39.9 million for lead service line replacement, and the remaining money will be distributed for other infrastructure initiatives.
CT Insider further reported:
This latest funding is in addition to $18.9 million dollars that Connecticut was awarded specifically for PFAS remediation in February. PFAS are a large family of chemicals that were widely used in consumer and industrial products. They persist in the environment, accumulate in the fat of living things, and are associated with a number of health effects including cancer, due to their ability to disrupt the endocrine system.
Roughly 39.9 million dollars of this funding is earmarked for lead service line replacement across the state of Connecticut. The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, estimates that there are 43,000 lead service lines across Connecticut.
The rest of the funding will be split between various improvement projects. The push is part of the Biden Administration’s effort to strengthen the nation’s water infrastructure under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This is the first year of the law where water and wastewater funding is available to states and tribes. Funding will continue through the fiscal year of 2026.