Earlier in April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $30 million in grant funding, as part of the agency’s RealWaterTA Initiative. The new funding will support technical assistance and training to benefit small drinking water and wastewater systems and private well owners.
The newly available RealWaterTA funding helps connect small and rural drinking water and wastewater systems with tried-and-true services, such as engineering and design expertise, operational support, workforce development, and financial management. EPA said this funding will benefit Americans nationwide, especially in rural areas where small systems face challenges operating and maintaining vital water infrastructure.
“Rural communities are the backbone of this country, and I firmly believe that we must do everything we can to ensure that they can continue to have access to clean and safe water,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jess Kramer. “EPA is investing $30 million from the RealWaterTA initiative to provide resources to small and rural communities who are working to fulfill critical water infrastructure needs to protect human health and the environment and Power the Great American Comeback.”
More than 90% of the drinking water systems in the United States serve fewer than 10,000 people and many of these systems are in rural communities. These small drinking water systems, as well as small wastewater systems, work hard to protect their communities’ water, but they face unique challenges including high operator turnover, aging infrastructure, and lack of financial resources.
Through the RealWaterTA grant funding, EPA will fund organizations that will work side-by-side with small systems and private well owners across the country to address their challenges.
Eligible applicants for this grant opportunity are nonprofit organizations, nonprofit private universities and colleges, and public institutions of higher education. EPA anticipates that up to five awards will be made, 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.
- Small public water systems on a wide range of managerial and/or financial topics that support compliance.
- Small publicly owned wastewater systems and communities served by onsite-decentralized wastewater systems to help strengthen local water resources.
- Private well owners to help improve drinking water quality.
This grant is part of the EPA’s larger commitment through Real Water Technical Assistance (RealWaterTA), which aims to provide a range of assistance for communities to identify water challenges, identify solutions, and give real-world results. The application period for these competitive grants is now open. The funding opportunity will remain open for 30 days on Grants.gov.
Learn more about Training and Technical Assistance for Small Systems Funding.
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