The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on May 12 more than $17 million in grant funding to help provide training and technical assistance to small drinking water and wastewater systems, with 90 percent of them being groundwater supplied.
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 workforce — in providing reliable drinking water and wastewater services that meet federal and state regulations.
Recipients of the grant awards will offer technical assistance to small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with regulations. This technical assistance may include circuit-rider and multistate regional technical assistance programs, training, and site visits, as well as training or technical assistance to diagnose and troubleshoot system operational and compliance-related problems and identify solutions.
The EPA anticipates that it will award grants to the following recipients once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Rural Community Assistance Partnership —
- $6.15 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
- $1.7 million to work with private well owners to help improve water quality.
National Rural Water Association —
- $6.15 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.
University of New Mexico —
- $2.7 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.
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