The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced up to $18 million in available funding to build a pipeline of technical assistance (TA) providers that can serve rural, small, and Tribal municipalities through the Clean Water Act’s Prevention, Reduction, and Elimination of Pollution Grant Program.
This investment will support TA providers to help utilities improve vital wastewater management. The funding will also elevate impact from Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) funding available to small, rural, and Tribal communities.
“All communities need clean and safe water and EPA is committed to helping small, rural, and Tribal communities meet that need,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “The agency is pursuing multiple approaches to help, including $18 million in grant funding that can be used to help unlock investments through the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”
Organizations interested in providing technical assistance can find application instructions here, and need to apply by Aug. 22. Organizations interested in receiving technical assistance can review available resources here.
EPA is seeking applications from organizations with experience delivering results-oriented technical assistance to rural, small, and Tribal publicly owned wastewater systems and decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Once selected, grantees will provide technical assistance in the following areas:
- Acquisition of financing and funding;
- Protection of water quality and compliance assistance;
- Tribal wastewater systems;
- Decentralized wastewater systems; and
- Lagoon wastewater systems.
