Council approves up to $160,000 EPA-funded lead-testing and remediation grant for schools and licensed childcare

The Lincoln City Council unanimously approved a grant agreement on Monday allowing the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department to accept up to $160,000 from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy for a voluntary school and child-care lead testing and reduction program.

Brock Kanish, division manager for Environmental Public Health at the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department, told the council the funding comes through the Nebraska grant program supported by EPA’s water infrastructure funding and will be available through June 2026. Kanish said the department has tested all licensed childcare centers and schools in the county using an action level of 10 parts per billion (ppb) and is now targeting fixtures with results of about 8 ppb for follow-up and remediation.

“The resolution before you is to approve a grant agreement between the City of Lincoln on behalf of Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy for up to $160,000,” Kanish said. The funds will be used to continue testing and remedial work on fixtures that exceed action levels and to support remediation in schools and child-care programs outside Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) when elevated levels are found.

Kanish said LPS has been sampling and addressing its infrastructure in parallel and that LLCHD has spent the last three years testing and working with facilities where results exceeded the action threshold.

The council approved the resolution 6-0. No public testimony was offered during the hearing.