St. Louis has fallen badly behind in its efforts to get lead-based paint out of homes of low-income residents. And the city is being warned that its slow progress could keep it from getting a three-million dollar grant to continue the work.

St. Louis got $7-Million from the federal government in 2004. The rules of the grants said the city was to clean up 789 homes by the end of March, next year. But only 317 homes have been cleaned by the end of 2006.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has sent a warning letter to the city say lagging progress was endangering additional funding.