The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $21.7 million in grant funding toward a selection of technical assistance providers to support drinking water and wastewater systems that serve small and rural communities.
This technical assistance funding builds on the agency’s recent announcement of $68 million in available funding for technical assistance through the Environmental Finance Center program.
“Small towns and rural communities face significant challenges when it comes to operating and maintaining their water infrastructure that is often decades old and in urgent need of reinvestment,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox in a press release.
Many of the country’s water systems serve relatively small and rural communities. Approximately 97 percent of the nation’s 145,000 public water systems serve fewer than 10,000 people. More than 80 percent of these systems serve fewer than 500 people.
Many small and rural systems face unique challenges — including aging infrastructure and workforce gaps — that create challenges in providing reliable drinking water and wastewater services that meet federal and state requirements.
The selected technical assistance providers will offer technical assistance to small public water systems to keep clean water flowing for rural communities by achieving and maintaining regulatory compliance. Technical assistance will include circuit-rider and multi-state regional technical assistance programs, training and site visits, and training or technical assistance to diagnose and trouble-shoot system operational and compliance-related problems.
EPA says that it anticipates awarding grants to the following providers:
Rural Community Assistance Partnership
- $11.2 million to provide training and technical assistance for small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, including improving financial and managerial capacity.
- $1 million to work with small publicly owned wastewater and on-site/decentralized wastewater systems to improve water quality.
- $850,000 to work with private well owners to help improve water quality.
National Rural Water Association
- $7.8 million to provide training and technical assistance for small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, including improving financial and managerial capacity.
- $850,000 to work with private well owners to help improve water quality.
