The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) will make $74.9 million available to replace lead service lines across the state. The board recently released a form requesting additional project information to be included in the initial priority list for this year’s Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR) Program funding round. Forms are due Aug. 14.
Delivered as part of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), the LSLR prioritizes degrading infrastructure that may contaminate drinking water supplies. Applicants that may apply for the program include existing community Public Water Systems (PWSs); non-profit, non-community PWSs; and state agencies.
Eligible projects include:
- Developing or updating lead service line inventories, including locating and mapping lead service lines.
- Removing lead service lines and replacing them with pipes that meet regulatory requirements and comply with state/local plumbing codes and/or building codes.
- Non-routine lead sampling as part of the LSLR project.
Providing the Project Information Form (PIF) is required for consideration in the upcoming funding rounds. In addition, each project must meet the disadvantaged criteria to be in the running for financing. These typically include communities with an Annual Median Household Income (AMHI) that is no more than 150% of the state’s AMHI.
The TWDB included an additional list of special requirements that applicants must meet to participate in the program. Some of these include providing a National Environmental Policy Act-type environmental review, adopting a water conservation and drought contingency plan, aligning with the TWDB State Water Plan and compliance with other state and federal provisions.
The TWDB will provide financing at a ratio of 51% principal forgiveness and 49% loan or bond. Entities may also include a request for reimbursement as part of their submission for initial service line inventory activities required to comply with federal Lead and Copper Rule Revisions.
Photo by Zulfugar Karimov from Pexels
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