Training and Technical Assistance for Small Systems Funding
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Funding for Training and Technical Assistance for Small Systems
EPA’s Fiscal Year 2019 appropriation directed the Agency to competitively award $15 million to non-profit organizations to provide training and technical assistance to small public water systems, small wastewater systems and private well owners, located in urban and rural communities throughout the U.S. and its territories.
The funding will help provide water and wastewater system staff and private well owners with training and tools to enhance system operations and management practices, and support EPA’s continuing efforts to protect public health and promote sustainability in small communities.
On September 30, 2019, EPA announced the following Request for Applications (RFA). The period for submitting applications ended on November 14, 2019.
Training and Technical Assistance to Improve Water Quality and Enable Small Public Water Systems to Provide Safe Drinking Water (PDF)
EPA awarded five cooperative agreements totaling up to $15 million in federal funds. The purpose of the agreements focuses on providing 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; or
- Private well owners to help improve water quality.
2019 Grant Recipients
In March 2020, selected grantees were announced for the FY2019 competitive award of $15 million in Training and Technical Assistance for Small Systems cooperative agreements.
Recipients of these grant awards offer technical assistance to small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with drinking water and wastewater regulations. EPA is awarding grant funding to the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) in the amount of:
- $5.9 million to provide training and technical assistance for small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
- $2.1 million to help small drinking water systems improve financial and managerial capacity to provide safe drinking water.
- $1.7 million to help private well owners improve water quality.
- $1 million to work with small publicly-owned wastewater and on-site/decentralized wastewater systems to improve water quality.
The agency is also awarding $4.3 million in grant funding to the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) to provide training and technical assistance for small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.