Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap

Wastewater Challenges in Rural America

The Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Initiative provides no-cost technical assistance to communities with failing septic systems or without existing wastewater infrastructure. Through the technical assistance initiative, EPA also helps communities apply for funding through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program (including tribal and territory programs funded through CWSRF appropriations) made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address wastewater needs. EPA is expanding the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Initiative to assist 150 communities. This initiative, along with historic funding availability through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other federal funding programs for water infrastructure, will make an impactful difference in the lives of countless people.

Too many communities in the United States are still living without the basics—including safe and reliable drinking water and wastewater systems. An estimated 2.2 million people in the U.S. lack basic running water and indoor plumbing in their homes. For example, yards regularly flood with sewage from straight pipes and lagoons in Alabama and across the Southern Black Belt. In Appalachia, families live by streams polluted with wastewater. In Puerto Rico, communities struggle to rebuild wastewater and septic systems damaged by hurricanes. In the Southwest, colonias and tribal nations lack indoor plumbing. Small, rural communities from the Central Valley in California to Alaskan Native Villages struggle to provide adequate sanitation services to their residents. These are just some of the countless stories of inadequate sanitation impacting rural America. Inadequate and failing wastewater infrastructure poses direct health risks to families and stymies economic growth and community vitality.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law presents a historic opportunity to invest in communities and leverage existing federal infrastructure programs to address wastewater infrastructure needs in underserved communities across America. For example, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $11.7 billion through the CWSRF, with 49 percent of funding available as grants or principal forgiveness, which can provide a pathway for underserved communities that might not otherwise be able to access traditional CWSRF loans to address their wastewater infrastructure needs. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding can also be leveraged with other key federal funding sources such as USDA’s Rural Development (USDA-RD) Water and Environmental Programs funding.

Who Can Qualify?

  • Do septic systems back-up into homes or cause sewage to pool in yards?
  • Does the town struggle to provide adequate sanitation services to their residents?
  • Does the community struggle to rebuild wastewater and septic systems damaged by natural disasters?

If any of these conditions apply, then assistance may be eligible through this initiative. Communities – including homeowners and utilities – and all states, Tribes, and territories can request no-cost technical assistance.

Request Help Today

Request no-cost assistance by completing the WaterTA request form. Communities – including homeowners and utilities – and all states, Tribes, and territories can complete the request form.

Communities will be selected on a rolling basis; there is no deadline to apply. For questions, email [email protected]

What to Expect

Participants receive solutions-oriented help that will focus on their community’s needs and identify financially feasible options to improve their wastewater infrastructure. EPA and a community will work together to identify and select practical, real-life solutions that work for the community. Part of this no-cost assistance is to help the community submit applications for wastewater solutions, such as requests for funding. Participating communities will be matched with an EPA contractor or grantee organization that has expertise specific to the community’s needs with septic systems and wastewater management.

Examples of technical assistance provided through the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Initiative:

  • Conduct an assessment of the community’s wastewater needs.
  • Evaluate the feasibility of wastewater solutions, including performing a rate study.
  • Identify funding options, such as grants and financing.
  • Help with completing the preliminary engineering and paperwork requirements for funding applications.
  • Assist community/county with establishing an ordinance for wastewater management.

Every community is different and unique, through the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Initiative we meet communities where they are in their wastewater journey to provide community-centered, feasible solutions. The following key activities and deliverables can be tailored to a communities’ specific needs depending on whether they need help identifying the challenges or applying to funding applications. Read the 11 pilot community solutions plans to understand the range of solutions and their progress.

Key Activities

  1. Conduct a Community Wastewater Assessment. This initiative will bring together state, tribal, and local collaborators and technical experts to assess the current status of wastewater infrastructure in all participating communities. The assessments will include engagements with state, tribal, and local government officials, the wastewater system, community-based organizations, and impacted residents. In addition to a physical infrastructure and engineering assessment, the initiative will support capacity assessments to identify what additional support may be needed to build the technical, managerial, and financial capacity of local governmental agencies to steward the project.
  2. Develop a Community Wastewater Solutions Plan. Using information secured during the assessment, this initiative will support development of Community Wastewater Solutions Plans. The Community Solutions Plans will include preliminary technical recommendations for a sustainable wastewater solution, based on local conditions. Solutions will generally fall into three categories: for homes located near to but not connected with an existing centralized wastewater system, facilitate connections into the system; for clusters of homes on individual decentralized systems, facilitate development of new and sustainable shared systems; for geographically isolated homes, facilitate conversion into reliable individual, decentralized systems. The Community Solutions Plans will also identify the technical assistance necessary to help the community access the CWSRF, USDA-RD, and other funding sources for infrastructure projects. State and local officials, as well as community members, will help shape the development of these plans.
  3. Help Underserved Communities Identify and Pursue Funding Opportunities. This initiative will collaborate with states to support underserved communities in identifying and applying for federal funding. Potential funding programs include Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding provided through the CWSRF and USDA-RD’s Water and Environmental Loan and Grant programs. Focus will be given to combining and harmonizing EPA Bipartisan Infrastructure Law CWSRF funding with USDA-RD funding and other potentially applicable funding sources, including state funding. EPA will also assist communities with completing the preliminary engineering and paperwork requirements for funding applications.
  4. Build Long-Term Capacity. Many communities with inadequate infrastructure may struggle to operate and maintain new infrastructure without support. EPA will collaborate with states and tribes to provide capacity building services, such as trainings and technical programs, to help build long-term capacity in communities that need it. A central issue will be training to identify funding and support structures for the long-term operations and maintenance of the wastewater systems. EPA will engage and work closely with on-the-ground technical assistance providers supported through EPA programs. 

Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative Pilot

In August 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with states, Tribes, technical assistance providers, and others, partnered on the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative. EPA and USDA-RD jointly leveraged technical assistance resources to help historically underserved communities identify, and pursue, federal funding opportunities to address their wastewater needs.

The initiative was piloted in 11 places across the southern regions of the country that have demonstrated significant need:

  • Bolivar County, Mississippi
  • Doña Ana County, New Mexico
  • Duplin County, North Carolina
  • Greene County, Alabama
  • Halifax County, North Carolina
  • Harlan County, Kentucky
  • Lowndes County, Alabama
  • McDowell County, West Virginia
  • Raleigh County, West Virginia
  • San Carlos Apache Tribe, Arizona
  • Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico
Map of Pilot Communities in the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative Program

Pilot Communities and Solutions Plans

Learn more about the Pilot, including the 11 communities, partnerships, outcomes, success stories, and community solution plan reports.

Greene County, Alabama
Greene County is located in west central Alabama. It is bordered by three major rivers and has two major transportation highways that cross the county. Like much of the Black Belt of Alabama, the fertile clay soils are not conducive to traditional septic drainfields causing challenges with sanitation. The lack of adequate wastewater treatment infrastructure in Greene County has created challenging health and economic conditions including concern for contamination of the groundwater aquifer. Wastewater treatment options under consideration include onsite septic, community treatment systems and central sewer and treatment.
  • Greene County Solutions Plan (pdf) (6.89 MB)
  • Funding awarded:
    • $70,000 via USDA Predevelopment Planning Grant (PPG) for Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) and an Environmental Information Document (EID)
    • $706,933 via Alabama CWSRF and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for Master Planning of the entire county
White Hall, Lowndes County, Alabama
White Hall is a town in Lowndes County, Alabama, located midway between Selma and Montgomery. Like much of the Black Belt area in Alabama, they lack wastewater systems that work well. The town recently constructed a cluster treatment system to serve 45 of the approximate 450 households and the elementary school. Wastewater treatment options under consideration include onsite systems, community treatment systems, central sewer and treatment systems, and a mix of those approaches.
  • Lowndes County Solutions Plan (pdf) (5.78 MB)
  • Funding awarded:
    • $70,000 via USDA Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (SEARCH) for PER and EID
    • $450,000 via Alabama CWSRF and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for Master Planning to determine best approach for the town, use of septic systems, community systems or central sewer
San Carlos Apache Tribe, Arizona
The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation covers 1.8 million acres and has approximately 10,800 residents. Onsite systems serve roughly two-thirds of homes, many of which are known to have functional problems. EPA has outlined a Wastewater Treatment Improvement Plan, which compiles recommendations for the onsite systems, central sewer system, wastewater management, education, and water and wastewater governance.
Tri-Cities area, Harlan County, Kentucky
Three cities (Cumberland, Benham, and Lynch) that share common city boundaries are in need of long-term solutions to address numerous issues and violations with sewage collection systems and wastewater treatment plants. The pilot initiative explored many options to address issues, including shared services and development of a new wastewater entity.
Dunlap, Bolivar County, Mississippi
Dunlap is a community with 34 homes in Mound Bayou, the majority of which have failed or unpermitted onsite systems. Mound Bayou currently serves water to Dunlap and has agreed to extend sewer services to this area.
Chaparral, Doña Ana and Otero Counties, New Mexico
Chaparral is a fast-growing unincorporated community split between Doña Ana and Otero Counties and is located in the United States–Mexico border region with wastewater and water quality challenges. The pilot project team identified multiple solutions for wastewater management and collaboration between the counties, with varying levels of required costs and resources in order to protect water resources.
Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico
Santo Domingo Pueblo is a federally recognized Tribal nation facing inadequate wastewater and drinking water conditions that are negatively impacting public health and limiting economic growth. The Pueblo has already worked to secure over $30 million from various sources and the team has outlined alternatives for the Pueblo to address the remaining financial needs for building their wastewater treatment plant.
Haliwa-Saponi Tribe/Halifax County, North Carolina
The Meadows Sewer District, which includes a large population of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, is a three-mile radius area in Halifax County. Many homes have failing septic systems. The pilot project team proposed a community cluster system with a phased approach for the densely populated areas and septic system upgrades for sparsely populated areas. A sewer extension to nearby towns is also being considered.
Teachey and Wallace, Duplin County, North Carolina
Two communities, Calico Bay Road (approximately 80 homes) and East Log Cabin Road (approximately 15 homes) have a history of failing septic systems. The adjacent towns, Wallace and Teachey, are open to extending their sewer service to the communities, in addition to septic system upgrades and/or a community cluster system as viable options.
Keystone and Northfork, McDowell County, West Virginia
Keystone and Northfork were built by coal mining companies during the early 20th century coal boom. These homes were originally on a sewer collection system that has since fallen into disrepair. As a result of the failed collection system, wastewater is being “straight piped” into the nearby Elkhorn Creek. The homes are sited on small lots on steep mountain slopes, limiting onsite treatment options and necessitating the construction of one or two wastewater treatment plants.
Rhodell and Amigo, Raleigh County, West Virginia
The unincorporated communities of Rhodell and Amigo were formed with the rise of the coal industry. The communities both lack wastewater infrastructure and instead homes discharge directly into local streams. The Crab Orchard-MacArthur Public Service District is looking for an affordable wastewater treatment solution that can adapt with declining populations.

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Last updated on July 3, 2024