WASHINGTON, DC -- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand recently announced that USDA is seeking applications for grants under a pilot program to help develop innovative treatment solutions of regional wastewater systems in rural America.
The funding will help historically impoverished communities (defined as any county that has had 20 percent or more of its population living in poverty over the past 30 years) develop regional solutions to longstanding wastewater treatment problems where soil conditions make traditional wastewater treatment ineffective and economically unfeasible.
The Technical Assistance and Training for Innovative Regional Wastewater Treatment Solutions (TAT/RWTS) Grant Pilot Program was authorized by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020. Grants will help finance wastewater-related technical assistance, including services such as feasibility studies, preliminary design assistance and supervision, oversight, or technical assistance to develop an application.
USDA is making up to $5 million in competitive grants available to eligible entities that include a consortium of institutions of higher education; academic, health and research institutes; or economic development entities. The consortium must include a regional university, or the proposed scope of work must include coordinating with one, to solve untreated raw sewage issues with innovative technologies, strategic management and regulatory models.
Applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov. Paper submissions will not be accepted. For additional information, see the Oct. 2, Federal Register. Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that provide measurable results in helping rural communities build robust and sustainable economies through strategic investments in infrastructure, partnerships and innovation.
