SEATTLE (June 30, 2023) – This week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced nearly $4 million in grant funds to disadvantaged communities in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to support access to clean and safe drinking water.
“We’re proud to partner with state and local governments to bring drinking water to underserved communities across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “By working together we are expanding access and ensuring that the water coming out of the faucet is safe for you and your family.”
Funds will support projects and activities in underserved, small, and disadvantaged communities. These projects will promote access to safe drinking water, invest in water infrastructure and improve compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The grant is part of an overall $50.4 million in annual funding that EPA is providing to states and territories nationwide.
EPA will allocate funds to applicable state agencies in the following amounts:
The funding is provided by the Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Community grant program, established under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act.
States and territories may apply for and receive grants on a non-competitive basis. EPA awards funding to states that are eligible based on factors that include populations below the poverty level, small water systems, and underserved communities.
States that apply for the grant will be able to use funds to help communities address drinking water concerns. Activities may include testing household water quality, monitoring for unregulated drinking water contaminants, and infrastructure improvement projects. Other efforts may help build technical, financial, and managerial abilities of water system operations and staff. Communities interested in this grant may contact staff with their state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program.
For more information, visit the WIIN SUDC Grant website.