The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is awarding $12.7 million in grants to help small drinking and wastewater systems. The funding will impact systems that serve fewer than 10,000 people, as well as private well owners.
The awards include:
- $4.5 million each to the National Rural Water Association and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership to help small public water systems across the country achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
- $2 million to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to improve the financial and managerial capabilities of small public water systems across the country.
- $1.4 million to the National Rural Water Association to improve operational performance at small publicly-owned wastewater systems and decentralized wastewater systems, with the intent of improving public health and water quality.
- $300,000 to the Rural Community Assistance Partnership to inform private drinking water well owners about protecting their drinking water supply and improving water quality.
USEPA says more than 97 percent of the nation’s 157,000 public water systems serve fewer than 10,000 people, and more than 80 percent of these systems serve fewer than 500 people. Many small systems face unique challenges in providing reliable drinking water and wastewater services that meet Federal and State regulations. These challenges can include a lack of financial resources, aging infrastructure and high staff turnover. Click here for more information on USEPA’s programs and tools to help small water systems.