Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§300j–16 Assistance to colonias

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 6A— - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER XII— - SAFETY OF PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS › Part Part E— - General Provisions › § 300j–16

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The law lets the head of the EPA and other federal agency leaders give grants to Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. The grants help colonias — low-income, mostly unincorporated communities along the U.S.–Mexico border that lack safe drinking water — meet federal drinking-water rules or otherwise protect people’s health. Grants must go to communities the agency finds face a significant health risk from not having an adequate, affordable drinking water system. Each grant can pay no more than 50% of a project’s cost. Congress authorized $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1997 through 1999.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §300j–16

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)As used in this section:

(1)The term “border State” means Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.

(2)The term “eligible community” means a low-income community with economic hardship that—

(A)is commonly referred to as a colonia;

(B)is located along the United States-Mexico border (generally in an unincorporated area); and

(C)lacks a safe drinking water supply or adequate facilities for the provision of safe drinking water for human consumption.

(b)The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies are authorized to award grants to a border State to provide assistance to eligible communities to facilitate compliance with national primary drinking water regulations or otherwise significantly further the health protection objectives of this subchapter.

(c)Each grant awarded pursuant to subsection (b) shall be used to provide assistance to one or more eligible communities with respect to which the residents are subject to a significant health risk (as determined by the Administrator or the head of the Federal agency making the grant) attributable to the lack of access to an adequate and affordable drinking water supply system.

(d)The amount of a grant awarded pursuant to this section shall not exceed 50 percent of the costs of carrying out the project that is the subject of the grant.

(e)There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1997 through 1999.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 300j–16

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73