In this subtitle, “Program” means the Radium Grant Program.

There is a Radium Grant Program.

The purpose of the Program is to provide financial assistance to residential well owners who incur the cost of adding a water treatment system to remove radium or gross alpha from well water.

A county may participate in the Program.

A county that participates in the Program shall process grant applications and award grants to residential well owners in accordance with this subtitle. The Department may award a grant under the Program only to a residential well owner who resides in a county that participates in the Program. The Department shall award a grant equal to the grant awarded by the county.

A residential well owner is eligible for a grant under this subtitle if the residential well owner: tests a well and finds that it contains radium or gross alpha levels above the levels recommended by the federal Environmental Protection Agency; installs a water treatment system to remove excess levels of radium or gross alpha from well water; and does not earn more than 110% of the statewide or Washington, D.C. Metropolitan statistical area median income.

The Department shall establish for participating counties a sliding scale formula, based on income, under which residential well owners with lower incomes are eligible for larger grants and those with higher incomes are eligible for smaller grants. The combined county and State grants shall equal at least 10% but not more than 25% of the cost of the water treatment system that the residential well owner installs.

The Department may adopt regulations to carry out this subtitle.