The Southwest Environmental Finance Center, part of the University of New Mexico (UNM) is receiving a $7 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), part of a previously announced round of grant funding in May.
The grant will be targeted toward providing small water systems with training and technical assistance and builds on similar grants the center has received to support small water and wastewater systems serving 10,000 people or fewer throughout the region and the entire United States. But this time, the center said, the grant will support a special focus on training and technical assistance, and its collaborators will also help the water and wastewater systems with technical, financial, and managerial needs to achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The grant is part of $30.7 million in funding awarded by the EPA to three projects that will support small water and wastewater systems.
“Small and rural communities are the backbone of our country and they face unique challenges when it comes to ensuring clean and safe water,” said EPA Senior Advisor Jessica Kramer. “EPA is committed to assisting small and rural communities with improving water quality, protecting health, bolstering economic opportunities and protecting water resources. This $30 million in funding for technical assistance will help communities address their unique needs.”
“Water is the foundation of everything, so if there is not a good drinking water system, everything else is going to fall apart. You aren’t going to have economic development, public health or a safe environment,” said Heather Himmelberger, director of the Southwest Environmental Finance Center.
The grant is in collaboration with Syracuse University, University of Maryland, Wichita State University, University of North Carolina, Mississippi State University, Morgan State University, Michigan Tech, Colorado State University, University of Tennessee, and the nonprofits Capacity Collaborative and Moonshot Missions.
Partnering with other institutions has allowed the Southwest Environmental Finance Center to offer more robust services to a greater number of water systems. Support offerings include assistance complying with regulations, helping systems acquire funding, enhancing service provided to customers, and training the water workforce.
This federal funding has received a 10% match from the State of New Mexico, allowing for even more small water systems to get assistance within the State.
“We’re just overjoyed that we won this award. We were very happy to see that EPA continues to value assistance to small water systems,” Himmelberger said.
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