Officials Give More Details On Lead Remediation Program

Officials revealed more information on a federal grant that will help identify and remove dangerous lead from lower-income homes in Bucks County.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, and other county officials were all on hand Thursday morning at the Bristol Borough Hall to offer details on the $1.5 million grant.

Last week, HUD announced a record $319 million worth of national grants to identify and clean up dangerous lead in low-income housing. Of that total, $46 million was granted for Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C. and West Virginia, with $22 million of grants going to Pennsylvania alone, according to HUD’s Regional Administrator Joe DeFelice.

More than 34,000 homes in Bucks County were constructed before 1940, raising the chance of increased risk for lead hazards, officials said. A map displayed at Thursday’s press event showed the risk of exposure to lead higher in the area surrounding Bristol and Levittown.

Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Middletown, said that the grant will specifically help those in the Lower Bucks County area, especially low-income housing where senior citizens and children are living.

“It’s really important we focus on these public health issues because, specifically with regard to lead, it can lead to kidney disease, liver disease and all sorts of blood disorders for children exposed to this lead for an extended period of time,” Fitzpatrick said.

Margaret McKevitt, director of the Bucks County Department of Community and Economic Development, said that they will be partnering with the county health department to do testing on the houses.

McKevitt also said that they plan to market the testing to low-income housing. If a homeowner or landlord wants their property to be tested, they can contact the county and the county will send the health department out to test the home. The health department will then return with information and then set up a meeting with the family as an intake session. The county will look over the intake and then consider if a family is eligible for the federal assistance.

The money will go towards contracted vendors to perform the lead remediation, McKevitt said.

An average remediation can cost between $8,000 to $10,000, McKevitt said. She also added that she hopes that close to 100 homes can be remediated in the next four years.

Fitzpatrick said that this could be just the beginning for larger lead remediation across the county.

“If this is a successful program and we find that we are uncovering significant lead levels in the water or the air, then it’s going to make it easier for us to come back and get more money to expand the scope throughout Lower Bucks,” the congressman said.