Rural Communities of Color and Federal Funding for LSL Replacements

Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative

Watch the webinar here, download the slides, and read the Q&A document.

Description:
The American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act have allocated an unprecedented billions of dollars of federal funding to states for lead service line (LSL) replacement. A critical consideration of this effort concerns how states distribute the funding and how LSL replacements are implemented in communities, especially taking into account the country’s increasing wealth and health disparities and the Administration’s Justice 40 Initiative.

Rural communities face specific challenges due to shrinking populations and aging infrastructure. In addition, rural communities of color are often overburdened by pollution and struggle to access needed funding for water infrastructure projects. Challenges often include technical, financial, managerial capacity, and matters of competing prioritization of significant needs, trust, and buy-in from communities long-neglected from disinvestment and marginalized by systemic racism.

This webinar highlighted key challenges of these communities with regard to accessing federal funding for lead service line replacement programs, and discussed how to address and overcome these barriers. Speakers shared examples of promising efforts and helpful resources.

Moderator:

• Kristie Trousdale, Deputy Director, Children’s Environmental Health Network

Speakers:

• LaTricea Adams, Founder, CEO, & President, Black Millennials for Flint
• Lorette Picciano, Executive Director, Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural
• Hope Cupit, President & CEO, Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc. (SERCAP)
• Andy Crocker, Regional Programs Lead, SERCAP
• Kenneth Rodgers, Rural Housing Specialist I, SERCAP