42 U.S.C. § 300j: Assistance to colonias

The term “border State” means Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. is commonly referred to as a colonia; is located along the United States-Mexico border (generally in an unincorporated area); and lacks a safe drinking water supply or adequate facilities for the provision of safe drinking water for human consumption. 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. 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. 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. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1997 through 1999.