EPA Announces $18 Million for Training and Technical Assistance for Small, Rural, and Tribal Wastewater Improvements The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced up to $18 million in available federal funding to build a pipeline of technical assistance (TA) providers that can serve rural, small, and tribal municipalities through the Clean Water Act Prevention, Reduction, and Elimination of Pollution Grant Program. This investment delivers on President Biden’s Justice40 initiative and will support TA providers to help utilities improve vital wastewater management that is essential to healthy communities. This funding will also elevate the impact from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding available to small, rural, and tribal communities. The Training and Technical Assistance for Rural, Small, and Tribal Municipalities and Wastewater Treatment Systems for Clean Water Act Prevention, Reduction, and Elimination of Pollution Grant Program was established by the America’s Water
Infrastructure Act of 2018. The program aims to provide training and tools to improve small wastewater system operations and management practices, making them more sustainable and resilient, and supporting EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment. “All communities need clean and safe water and EPA is committed to helping them meet that need,” said Radhika Fox, EPA assistant administrator for water. “The agency is pursuing multiple approaches to help, including grant funding that can be used to help unlock investments through the historic bipartisan law that addresses infrastructure.” This grant program highlights EPA’s priorities to advance equity, address climate change, and help bridge the gap between community needs and federal funding. The EPA is seeking applications from organizations with experience delivering results-oriented
4 August 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal
technical assistance to rural, small, and tribal publicly owned wastewater systems and decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Once selected, grantees will provide technical assistance in the following areas: S A cquisition of financing and funding S P rotection of water quality and compliance assistance S T ribal wastewater systems S D ecentralized wastewater systems S L agoon wastewater systems By prioritizing investment and technical assistance in small, rural, and tribal systems, EPA is taking another step to fulfill the Biden Administration’s commitment to help all communities benefit from the BIL. This initiative intends to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40 percent of benefits from certain investments, including water and wastewater infrastructure, to underserved communities. S
