ALBANY – The City of Jamestown is in line to receive $567,492 from New York State to pay for replacement of lead residential drinking water lines as part of the Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017.
The award was announced by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Monday. The money is part of a $20 million dollar project to be awarded statewide to replace residential drinking water lead service lines.
“These critical improvements to New York’s drinking water infrastructure are vital to protecting public health and to laying the foundation for future growth and economic prosperity in these communities,” Cuomo said. “With this $20 million award, we are helping to protect residents and their families across this state and are creating a stronger, healthier New York.”
State lawmakers created the Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017. As part of this Act, the Lead Service Line Replacement Grant Program allows the health department to appropriate grant funds for replacing lead service lines. Municipalities were determined to be eligible to participate in the program based on the following criteria: percentage of children with elevated blood levels, median household income, and the number of homes built before 1939. Grants will be used to replace residential lead service lines from the municipal water main to the residence.
New York State requires health care providers to test all children for lead with a blood lead test at one year and again at age two. At every well-child visit up to age six, health care providers must ask parents about any contact their child might have had with lead. If there’s been a chance of contact, providers are required to test for lead again. Parents can ask their child’s doctor or nurse if their child should get a lead test, and what the lead test results mean.