The $350 billion enacted for state and local aid in the American Rescue Plan Act is the largest amount of flexible federal funding ever approved by Congress. BlueConduit’s team authored a policy playbook as part of the State Recovery Now, a program of America Achieves, about how policymakers can leverage this unprecedented opportunity to address the continued presence of lead service lines. The playbook gives a step-by-step guide for how policymakers can leverage ARP funding to address this pressing public health challenge.
Too few communities have an efficient system in place to comprehensively engage in an LSL replacement program. Efforts are often hampered by a lack of necessary data on the number and location of LSLs in a community, resulting in inaccurate, inefficient, and costly removal efforts.
Data science and statistical modeling can help identify LSLs with much higher accuracy, improving efficiency and costs associated with removal efforts. Through a one-time investment of American Rescue Plan funds, this program can be implemented in two-steps:
An initial project planning grant that allows communities to more efficiently gather data and create smart maps showing the likely number and location of LSLs.
A second grant that would fund the full replacement of the community’s service lines.
