Schools/Daycare Facilities Can Tap Tools and Resources at elkay.com to Help Navigate October Grant Deadlines


MILWAUKEE, Oct. 7, 2024 - As of October 2023, the state of Michigan is requiring all K-12 schools and childcare centers to provide students and staff with continuous access to filtered drinking water. This is part of Michigan's Filter First law (HB 4341 and 4342) to help protect children from consuming high levels of lead and other contaminants. Zurn Elkay Water Solutions, the industry's largest supplier of cleaner water solutions for drinking water, hygiene and sustainable water management, is determined to help schools meet Filter First requirements.

To comply with this new law, schools are required to develop a Drinking Water Management Plan (DWMP), due in January 24, 2025, install lead-reducing filters on all fixtures where water is consumed, and test filtered water. The DWMP must account for all consumptive, non-consumptive and inoperable drinking sources throughout their facilities on a fixture inventory sheet. These fixtures are required to be properly filtered and tested every year. Zurn Elkay drinking water experts are offering free site walkthroughs to help school districts and childcare centers complete their fixture inventory sheet.

"We understand that this is a lot of work for school districts to do and the timeline for this is quite short," says Dave Scott, Business Development Manager for Zurn Elkay. "After working with dozens of facility directors across the state, we created a comprehensive checklist to assess any fixtures that would need to be filtered under the law."

Zurn Elkay makes meeting Filter First compliance easy by offering an expansive portfolio of filtered bottle filling stations, fountains and faucets. With a site walk, our drinking water experts make personalized product recommendations. The guaranteed inventory of products are manufactured and assembled in Savanna and Lanark, IL, for fast delivery in three days or less.

"We know it can seem overwhelming to meet all of these requirements but are here to help make it easy for your district," continues Scott. "We're equipped with recommendations on products to help your units comply with the new requirements. Our industry-leading filters meet the new higher standards for lead limits and reduce microplastics, cysts and more for safer, better-tasting water. For ease of maintenance, filter status lights on these solutions indicate when it's time to replace filters."

State funding is available for use toward one-time purchase and/or installation of filtered bottle filling stations, coolers, point-of-use filtered faucets, and certain maintenance and sampling. The GEM/MARS application for grant funding is now open and will be closing on October 18, 2024.

Zurn Elkay water experts are ready to help your school meet Filter First requirements with an immediate quote. For help completing your drinking water management plan, download the free guide to Filter First or schedule an on-site or virtual site walk today.

About Zurn Elkay Water Solutions

Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions is a growth-oriented, pure-play water business that designs, procures, manufacture and markets what we believe is the broadest sustainable product portfolio of solutions to improve health, human safety and the environment. The Zurn Elkay product portfolio includes professional grade water control and safety, water distribution and drainage, drinking water, finish plumbing and hygienic environmental and site works products for public and private spaces.

Annie Carmody
Media Relations Specialist
annie.carmody@elkay.com
(224) 477-3455

SOURCE Zurn Elkay Water Solutions