EPA to award over $30 million to small, rural communities to improve water infrastructure
(UI) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of up to $30.7 million in grant funding for technical assistance and training to support small drinking water and wastewater systems, including those in rural communities. This grant provides funding to organizations that work side-by-side with water systems by giving them the necessary tools and training to ensure communities have safe drinking water and effective wastewater treatment systems.
Small water systems often face unique financial and operational challenges, including aging infrastructure, workforce shortages, increasing costs, and declining rate bases. Many small systems also serve disadvantaged communities with environmental justice concerns. With this action, EPA is investing in small and underserved communities to ensure safe drinking water and wastewater services are provided to those that are most in need.
Additionally, this grant will help expand on the Agency’s water technical assistance (WaterTA) commitment, which aims to provide a range of assistance to help communities identify solutions for water challenges — from capacity building to helping navigate the federal funding application process, and strategically investing in reliable infrastructure solutions.
“Many small drinking water systems face challenges when working to provide reliable and safe drinking water to their communities,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “Funding to support upgrading water infrastructure is central to President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. With this grant funding, the EPA is building on our technical assistance efforts by providing another resource for disadvantaged and often rural, communities to gain access to their fair share of federal investment through training and technical assistance.”
Since 2012, the Training and Technical Assistance to Improve Water Quality and Enable Small PWSs to Provide Safe Drinking Water grant program has provided over $170 million in funding to technical assistance and training providers. EPA expects to award three to nine cooperative agreements totaling up to $30.7 million in federal funds.
The purpose of the agreements is to provide training and technical assistance to small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The agreements also provide small public water systems on a wide range of managerial and/or financial topics to achieve and maintain compliance with the SDWA.
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