Water Technical Assistance Programs
Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA): Ensuring Equitable Access to Water Infrastructure Funding
All communities deserve access to clean, safe, and reliable water. Yet, too many communities across America—rural, urban, suburban, small, and large—face challenges in providing safe drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services to their residents. EPA’s free Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) supports communities to identify water challenges, develop plans, build technical, managerial, and financial capacity, and develop application materials to access water infrastructure funding. EPA collaborates with states, Tribes, territories, community partners, and other key stakeholders to implement WaterTA efforts. The end result: more communities with applications for federal funding, quality water infrastructure, and reliable water services.
EPA has a history of providing WaterTA to support communities to build their capacity and address compliance challenges—and is now expanding its technical assistance efforts to help more communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law presents an unprecedented opportunity to address water infrastructure needs by providing $50 billion in new funding, the largest federal investment in water in the history of our nation. New and existing EPA WaterTA programs will be utilized to support effective implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
This page summarizes several EPA WaterTA programs and resources available to local municipalities, Tribes, communities, and entities eligible for EPA water infrastructure funding programs. To learn more about EPA WaterTA, including how to access assistance or sign up for ongoing updates, visit www.epa.gov/WaterTA.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law WaterTA Initiatives
To support implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is investing in and expanding technical assistance efforts. These programs have been launched in collaboration with states, territories, Tribes, and community partners.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law WaterTA Initiatives | Focus |
---|---|
H2O Community Solutions Teams (Pilot Program) | Supported 29 communities to assess water infrastructure needs and make progress in accessing federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. |
Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap (Pilot Program) | In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development program, assisted 11 underserved areas with significant decentralized wastewater needs (or no wastewater infrastructure at all) to make progress in accessing Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. |
Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap | Expand the services provided in the Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap pilot program to provide technical assistance to approximately 150 underserved and disadvantaged communities with decentralized wastewater needs (or no wastewater infrastructure at all). |
Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators (Pilot Program) | Partner with Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to accelerate lead service line replacements and support access to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding across 40 communities through 2024. |
Get the Lead Out (GLO) Initiative | Expand the services provided in the Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators pilot program to provide lead service line replacement technical assistance to approximately 200 underserved and disadvantaged communities. |
Ongoing WaterTA Programs
Existing EPA WaterTA programs are available for utilities, municipalities, and Tribes to receive direct WaterTA to maintain regulatory compliance, improve resiliency, and build utility technical, managerial, and financial capacity. The following table provides various EPA WaterTA programs and resources for utilities and Tribes. For more details on programs and resources and to request assistance, go to www.epa.gov/WaterTA.
WaterTA Program | Focus |
---|---|
Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs) | EFCs provide technical assistance services to support communities to develop water infrastructure needs, develop funding applications, and address other capacity needs. 16 new regional Bipartisan Infrastructure Law EFCs and four new national Bipartisan Infrastructure Law EFCs will support access to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law resources and facilitate effective national implementation. |
Training and Technical Assistance for Small Systems | Assist small drinking water utilities with Safe Drinking Water Act compliance, support improved water quality efforts for small and decentralized wastewater systems, and support private drinking water well owners to improve water quality. |
Rural, Small, and Tribal (RST) Technical Assistance for Wastewater Systems | Support rural, small municipalities, and Tribal governments to access finance/funding and support rural, small, and Tribal centralized and decentralized wastewater systems to build capacity to protect water quality and comply with the Clean Water Act. |
Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) | Provide training and resources to support water utilities as they pursue climate adaptation and resiliency strategies. |
Area-Wide Optimization Program (AWOP) | Provide tools and approaches for drinking water systems to meet water quality optimization goals and provide an increased – and sustainable – level of public health protection to their consumers. |
Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center | Provide financing information (e.g., a Clearinghouse of funding opportunities, State Revolving Fund 101 and other learning modules, and webinars) to help utilities make decisions for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. |
Cybersecurity | Offer online and in-person courses on water sector cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, consequences, best practices, resources, and program development. Additionally, EPA offers free, confidential assessments and cybersecurity technical assistance to interested drinking water and wastewater utilities. |
Drinking Water Rule Implementation and Compliance Assistance | Provide on-site and webinar-based training that includes rule overviews and/or specific technical requirements to states and water system operators. EPA also conducts virtual sanitary survey training for states. |
Water Resilience | Conduct trainings and exercises (both direct and classroom/webinar based) related to the disaster resilience of water and wastewater utilities against natural disasters. |
Drinking Water Capacity Development | Provide tools and resources to help water systems build their technical, managerial, and financial capacity, maintain certified operators, and establish partnerships. |
Utility Workforce Development | Webinars, case studies, and grant programs to support innovative workforce development practices at water and wastewater utilities. |
Additional Technical Assistance Programs
In addition to the technical assistance provided by EPA's Office of Water, multiple technical assistance programs are available from other EPA offices and federal agencies. These include programs from EPA’s:
- Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) — For example, EPA’s Thriving Communities Program under OEJECR helps nonprofits and other organizations in underserved communities build community capacity to access federal resources for water infrastructure and other needs.
- Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM)
- Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations (OCIR)
- Office of Research and Development (ORD)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) also offer robust technical assistance programs.
Many states provide technical assistance programs for water utilities through State Revolving Fund set-aside funding.