Training and Technical Assistance (TA) Program for Rural, Small, and Tribal Wastewater Systems

On this page:

Active Notice of Funding Opportunity
Grant Program Overview
How to Request Technical Assistance
Awards Announced in 2023
Historical Funding

Active Notice of Funding Opportunity

On September 25, 2024, EPA announced the availability of $49 million in new technical assistance funding under the Clean Water Act to help communities address critical wastewater and water quality challenges.

EPA is accepting applications until November 25, 2024.

Funding Opportunity Number (FON): EPA-OW-OWM-24-01 (https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/356501)
Funding Opportunity Title: Training and Technical Assistance for Rural, Small and Tribal Municipalities and Wastewater Treatment Systems for Clean Water Act Prevention, Reduction, and Elimination of Pollution
Application packages must be submitted electronically to the EPA through Grants.gov (Grants.gov) by 11:59 Eastern Time (ET), Monday November 25, 2024 to be considered for funding. Late applications will not be considered for funding.

Selections for the Rural, Small, and Tribal Wastewater Technical Assistance Grant Program will be made in the following priority areas:

Priority Area 1: Acquisition of Financing and Funding: These applicants will help rural, small, and Tribal communities plan for and access funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) and other sources.

Priority Area 2: Protection of Water Quality and Compliance Assistance: This funding will help rural, small, and Tribal communities improve their technical, managerial, and financial capacity and maintain compliance.

Priority Area 3: Tribal Wastewater Systems: This area provides training and technical assistance to tribes across all areas of their Clean Water Infrastructure.

Priority Area 4: Decentralized Wastewater Systems: More than one in five households in the United States rely on septic systems and other decentralized systems, and this priority area focuses on assistance to those communities.

Grant Program Overview

The Clean Water Rural, Small, and Tribal Technical Assistance (RST TA) Grant Program was authorized by the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 and codified under the Clean Water Act. The program aims to provide technical assistance and training to improve rural, small and tribal wastewater system operations and management practices, making them more sustainable and resilient, and supporting EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment. The program also aims to provide technical assistance in planning, developing and accessing finance and funding for clean water projects under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), including Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds.

The main functions of Clean Water RST TA providers include:

Assisting rural, small, and tribal communities in securing funding they need to to support infrastructure improvements and
Supporting rural, small, and tribal wastewater treatment systems – centralized and decentralized – build their technical, managerial, and financial capacity to operate their systems well and maintain compliance.

The statutory authority for this grant program is Section 104(b)(8) of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Services are available to municipalities and treatment systems nationally in all 50 states, the U.S. territories, and for tribes. Participating communities may receive direct water technical assistance to access funding, maintain regulatory compliance, improve resiliency, and build technical, managerial, and financial capacity (TMF).

How to Request Technical Assistance

Communities may request technical assistance support through the EPA’s Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) Request Form.

Communities may also directly contact the RST TA grantees to request training and technical assistance:

Awards Announced in 2023

On June 24, 2022, EPA announced the Request for Applications (RFA) for 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” (EPA-OW-OWM-22-02). The period for submitting applications ended on August 22, 2022. Eligible applicants under this competition are public and private nonprofit organizations, subject to CWA 104(w), that are qualified and experienced in providing on-site training and technical assistance to rural, small, and Tribal municipalities and/or small publicly owned treatment works and/or decentralized wastewater treatment systems.

On April 27, 2023, EPA announced the selection of nine organizations to receive a total of $41 million in federal Clean Water RST grant funding. Organizations submitted applications to support five priority areas. The selected recipients for the Rural, Small, and Tribal Wastewater Technical Assistance Grant Program include:

Priority Area 1 - Acquisition of Finance/Funding: Applicants selected under this priority area will provide training and technical assistance to rural, small, and/or tribal municipalities for the purpose of assisting such municipalities and tribal governments in the planning, developing, and acquisition of financing and funding for projects and activities that are described under the CWSRF program.

Priority Area 2 - Protect Water Quality and Compliance Assistance: Applicants selected under this priority area will provide training and technical assistance for rural, small, and/or tribal publicly-owned treatment works and/or decentralized wastewater systems to help improve water quality, achieve and maintain compliance, and ensure sustained operations and maintenance of wastewater treatment systems over the long run.

Priority Area 3 - Tribal Systems: Applicants selected under this priority area will provide training and technical assistance to tribes for planning, developing, and acquisition of financing/funding and also to help improve water quality and achieve and maintain compliance.

Priority Area 4 - Decentralized Systems: Applicants selected under this priority area will provide training and technical assistance for communities that rely on decentralized wastewater treatment systems, specifically to support planning, development, and acquisition of finance.

Priority Area 5 - Lagoon Systems: Applicants selected under this priority area will provide training and technical assistance for communities that use lagoon wastewater treatment systems.

Historical Funding

On September 15, 2021, EPA announced the first grantees under the RST TA program with the selection of $12 million in grant funding to provide training and technical assistance to serve small, rural, and tribal community wastewater systems. This funding is helping improve public health and environmental protection by helping to ensure that wastewater in these communities is safe and treated before being responsibly returned to the environment. Additional information on the inaugural award announcement and recipients can be found below: