(AGENPARL) – ven 04 ottobre 2024 Issued: Oct 4, 2024 (11:40am EDT)
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EPA Announces $30 Million to Help Small and Rural Communities Protect Public
Health, Drinking Water, and Local Waterways
WASHINGTON (October 4, 2024) – Today, 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, many serving rural communities, and to help private
well owners improve water quality.
In the United States, more than 90 percent of drinking water systems serve
fewer than 10,000 people. While many of these small systems consistently
provide safe drinking water to their customers, they can also face challenges
including high operator turnover, aging infrastructure, and lack of financial
resources. Wastewater systems serving small communities face similar
challenges. This EPA grant program provides funding to organizations that work
side-by-side with these systems, providing tools and training to ensure that
drinking water is safe and that wastewater is treated responsibly.
“Dedicated water champions, working at thousands of small drinking water and
wastewater systems across the country, ensure that their communities can rely
on clean and safe water. Accomplishing this vital mission day-in and day-out
with limited resources is challenging,” said Bruno Pigott, EPA’s Principal
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water. “With $30 million in new EPA
funding, technical assistance providers will help achieve public health and
safe water goals for small communities.”
EPA is seeking applications to fund grant projects that will benefit small and
often rural communities. Eligible applicants for this competitive agreement
are nonprofit organizations, nonprofit private universities and colleges, and
public institutions of higher education. EPA expects to award four to five
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).
Small public water systems on a wide range of managerial and/or financial
topics to achieve and maintain compliance with the SDWA.
Small publicly owned wastewater systems, communities served by
onsite-decentralized wastewater systems to help improve water quality.
Private well owners to help improve water quality.
Congress has funded this program annually, enabling EPA to provide more than
$170 million in funding to technical assistance and training providers since
2012. This program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which
sets a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments
flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and
overburdened by pollution.
This grant is part of the EPA’s larger commitment through the Water
Technical Assistance program (WaterTA), which aims to provide a range of
assistance for communities to identify water challenges, identify solutions,
and build capacity. Since 2022, approximately 5,000 communities have received
technical assistance, ensuring they maintain or achieve Safe Drinking Water
Act compliance and treat wastewater responsibly.
The application period for these competitive grants is now open. Questions
about applying for EPA funding for training and technical assistance must be
received by November 11, 2024, and applications must be received by 11:59 p.m.
EST on November 25, 2024. EPA expects to award these cooperative agreements by
summer of 2025.
This grant will be competed through a Notice of Funding Opportunity process.
The funding opportunity will remain open for 60 days on Grants.gov. To learn
more about the grant visit: Training and Technical Assistance for Small
Systems Funding.
This notice of funding availability furthers EPA’s commitment to rural
communities. Last week, EPA also announced $49 million in technical assistance
to help rural, small, and tribal communities address wastewater challenges.
Additionally, the agency released new tools to help small, rural, and tribal
communities with lagoons manage wastewater and protect waterbodies.
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