EPA Announces $2B to Address Emerging Water Contaminants in Small, Disadvantaged Communities

On Feb. 13, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $2 billion to address emerging contaminants in small and disadvantaged communities’ drinking water, including per- and poly- fluoroalkyl (PFAS).

EPA made the announcement as it continues to review comments on its proposed rule to designate PFAS as a hazardous substance under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and as the Agency readies for release of a proposed rule establishing a national drinking water standard for PFAS "in the coming weeks."

The $2 billion in funding will be made available later this year through the new Emerging Contaminants in

Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) grant program. It is a result of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), which authorizes $5 billion between fiscal years 2022-2026 to "help communities that are on the frontlines of PFAS contamination reduce PFAS in drinking water." The new grant is fashioned to include disadvantaged communities in both rural and urban settings.

Eligible projects for EC-SDC, according to EPA, will include:

• Efforts to address emerging contaminants in drinking water that would benefit a small or disad-

CONTINUED PAGE 34 | epa funding

Texas keeps getting bigger — and we have tools that are scalable to the changing landscape. Our tools empower our communities to make resilient decisions for today and tomorrow.