EPA selects recipients for $25M in rural water technical assistance grant funding

The U.S. EPA has announced the recipients of $25.7 million in grant funding for water technical assistance providers. The funding will help providers support small and rural communities improve their drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.

The funding is EPA’s latest investment of water technical assistance funding that builds on the agency’s growing pool of technical assistance providers, including the Environmental Finance Centers.

EPA’s latest funding recipients are the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, receiving $17.7 million, and the National Rural Water Association, receiving $8 million.

“Across the country, too many communities struggle with water infrastructure upgrades that are essential for providing clean, safe water,” said EPA Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox. “Today’s latest announcement of technical assistance resources will support rural communities with identifying needs, building capacity and modernizing water infrastructure to provide clean water.”

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 systems face unique challenges — including aging infrastructure and an under resourced workforce — in providing reliable drinking water and wastewater services that meet federal and state regulations.

In partnership with the following selected grantees, EPA is taking steps to provide technical assistance on water infrastructure and to provide training for these small water systems.

The Rural Community Assistance Partnership is anticipated to receive:

• $14 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.
• $2.7 million to work with private well owners to help improve water quality.

The National Rural Water Association is anticipated to receive:

• $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.

Recipients will offer technical assistance to small public water systems to achieve and maintain regulatory compliance to keep clean water flowing for rural communities. This 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 and identify solutions.

More information about these technical assistance programs can be found on EPA's Water Technical Assistance webpage.