HOWARDVILLE, Mo. — While it is the large cities like Flint, Michigan, that capture the attention of the need to upgrade the nation’s aging water infrastructure, it is the small towns that may be the most vulnerable.

A law signed by President Joe Biden in December is designed to help some of the smallest and poorest communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $50 billion to address disproportionate environmental burdens in historically underserved communities. It is a law, government officials point out, that could benefit many Southeast Missouri towns.

Just after the law was signed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan sent a letter to Missouri Gov. Mike Parson encouraging him to maximize Missouri’s share - $147,152,000 to the State Revolving Fund in 2022. Regan urged Missouri’s governor to use the funds to create jobs while addressing such problems as lead and other contamination in drinking water.