EPA Announces $30 Million To Support Small Water Systems And Advance Implementation Of Real Water Technical Assistance

Washington - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $30 million in grant funding, under EPA’s Real Water Technical Assistance Initiative, to provide training and technical assistance that will improve water quality in small and rural communities across America. Supporting small water systems in their work to meet requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act helps ensure all Americans have access to clean and reliable water and helps Make America Healthy Again.

“Small and rural communities are the backbone of this great country, and it’s no secret that water systems serving these areas can face unique challenges with delivering clean and safe water that their communities rely on,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jessica Kramer. “This $30 million investment is another way EPA is delivering wins for rural America. Nationally recognized technical assistance providers will use this money to strengthen small and rural systems to protect water quality and support high-impact public health protection.”

Funding for the training and technical assistance grants will be used for developing and supporting technical, managerial, and financial capabilities at small public drinking water systems, small publicly owned wastewater systems, and onsite/decentralized wastewater systems. It will also assist private well owners with improving water quality, including testing for PFAS contamination and identifying lead service lines. EPA anticipates awarding federal grants to these recipients after legal and administrative requirements are satisfied:

• National Rural Water Association (NRWA) – $9,100,000 to support small systems by providing training and technical assistance in technical, managerial, and financial capabilities, including rate-setting and fiscal planning. NRWA will also enhance technical capabilities when assisting in diagnosing and troubleshooting system operational and compliance-related issues and ensure that asset management programs are a standard operating practice.

• Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) – $14,580,000 to provide technical, managerial, and financial training and technical assistance for operators, board members, and managers and to address drinking water regulatory compliance failures. RCAP will also work to ensure that wastewater systems improve treatment and adopt sustainable management practices, with a focus on financial sustainability. Additionally, RCAP will help to ensure properly maintained private drinking water wells.

• Southwest Environmental Finance Center at the University of New Mexico – $7,020,000 to strengthen technical, managerial, and financial capability, including assisting with creation of asset management plans and assessing system financial health. The project will address operational, managerial, and financial challenges in small communities, as well as support for lead service line inventories and training on PFAS regulations and treatment.

"NRWA values its long-standing partnership with EPA in providing vital hands-on grassroots training and technical assistance to small and rural communities across our nation,” stated Matthew Holmes, CEO of the National Rural Water Association. “Through Assistant Administrator Jessica Kramer’s leadership and the RealWaterTA initiative, we are proud to offer a back-to-basics approach to technical assistance, using proven and efficient methods to assist systems with technical, managerial, and financial management needs, and driving real-world results.”

“The Rural Community Assistance Partnership is grateful to the U.S. EPA for this critical investment in the future of rural water infrastructure,” said RCAP Chief Executive Officer Olga Morales-Pate. “Many small and rural utilities operate with limited capacity, aging assets, and tight financial resources, making it difficult to balance daily operational needs with long-term sustainability. Through this funding, the RCAP Network is able to provide technical assistance to utilities and deliver hands-on support that helps communities protect public health, maintain compliance, and build the resilience of water and wastewater infrastructure systems and extend assistance and resources to private well owners.”

“We are so thankful for EPA’s continued commitment to helping small, rural, and tribal drinking water systems address their technical, managerial, and financial (TMF) capacity issues,” said Heather Himmelberger, Director of the Southwest Environmental Finance Center at UNM. “As national leaders in training and technical assistance, the Environmental Finance Center Network brings our traditional and innovative approaches to help water systems build TMF capacity, improve or maintain compliance, and address critical workforce challenges. We look forward to continuing our partnership with EPA on this important program.”

Since 2012, this grant has provided over $200 million to training and technical assistance providers. Training and technical assistance funding ensures that these providers support locally tailored assistance to communities. The funding contributes to ensuring communities have safe drinking water and that wastewater is responsibly managed.

EPA’s Real Water Technical Assistance (RealWaterTA) supports drinking water and wastewater systems using proven, best-practice approaches that will most effectively address local needs while partnering with states and Tribes. The goals of RealWaterTA focus on public health and compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act. It also prioritizes accountability for technical assistance providers and real-world results. This initiative will benefit Americans nationwide, especially in rural areas where small systems face challenges operating and maintaining vital water infrastructure.

For more information about the grant, visit: https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/training-and-technical-assistance-improve-water-quality-and-enable-small-public-water-0