Sebring, Hubbard awarded funds through state initiative to address lead pipe issues

Two Mahoning Valley communities will receive funds through a state initiative to locate, remove and replace toxic lead pipes.

The village of Sebring was awarded $500,000, and the city of Hubbard will receive $180,000 through the H2Ohio initiative, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday. The initiative is investing $4 million to address lead hazards and prevent lead poisoning in the state.

“We want all of our residents, no matter where they live, to be confident that their drinking water is clean and not contaminated by decomposing lead pipes that should have long ago been replaced,” DeWine said in a news release. “My focus every day is on the health and safety of all of our citizens, and I won’t be satisfied until lead pipes are truly a thing of the past.”

Of the $4 million to be awarded through the H2Ohio Lead Service Line Replacement Grant Program, about $2 million will go to six communities whose lead pipes are mapped and ready for replacement, the release states. The communities are Sebring, Hubbard, Delphos, Lockland, Norwood and Scio.

The remaining $2 million in grant funds will be awarded to help identify, inventory and map lead service lines in public water systems that do not have the financial means to properly assess where their lead service lines are located, the release states.

The funding includes $1.4 million for mini-grants of up to $50,000 for individual public water systems and $600,000 for the Rural Community Assistance Program and the Ohio Rural Water Association to provide identification and mapping assistance to small public water systems.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will begin accepting applications for the $50,000 mini-grants on March 28. The agency will host an informational webinar at 2 p.m. March 17. Click here to register.