The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking applications from organizations with a demonstrable history of providing effective, results-oriented technical assistance to public water systems.
Donor Name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/25/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The nation has made significant progress in addressing environmental and public health needs over the past fifty years. At the same time, the cost of facilities, programs, services, and activities needed to meet environmental challenges continues to grow. Many communities with significant drinking water system technical, managerial, and financial capacity needs have not been able to access federal funding and financing programs to address these concerns. The EPA recognizes that existing environmental gains cannot be preserved, nor further progress achieved, unless Tribes, state and local governments, utilities, and non-governmental organizations have the resources to develop and sustain water infrastructure and to pay for the growing costs of protecting the environment and public health.
As the EPA looks to support continued environmental progress, they are mindful that many communities have never been able to access safe and reliable infrastructure, and many communities are dealing with the impacts of climate change. Climate change acts as a threat multiplier, exacerbating existing stressors that impact public health, degrade the quality of the waterways, and destabilize critical water infrastructure. Disadvantaged communities are particularly vulnerable to these impacts.
The EPA provides technical assistance (TA) to help communities identify water infrastructure needs, plan for capital improvements, maintain regulatory compliance, improve resiliency, build capacity, and apply for the range of eligible projects under various grant programs. TA is provided through direct interactions with water utilities and communities. Through this grant program, the EPA seeks to provide funding to TA providers to support communities at the drinking water system level, including operational, environmental, and financial resource challenges they face. The funds included in this opportunity will ensure that vital technical assistance services are provided and reach the drinking water systems in communities that need them most. Funding will be awarded to eligible applicants that provide direct technical assistance and training to assist small drinking water systems, small publicly-owned wastewater systems, and onsite/decentralized wastewater systems and private well owners.
Program Objectives
All communities deserve access to safe, clean, and reliable water. The EPA’s priority is to support training and technical assistance to communities of need and improve public health through enhancement of technical, managerial, and financial capacity, compliance, and drinking water infrastructure. The training and technical assistance will help ensure that communities that have historically struggled to access public funding receive the support they need. The EPA aims to maximize the potential for these funds to significantly benefit rural, small, or Tribal communities with training and technical assistance in their respective public waters systems. Applicants are encouraged to prioritize training and technical assistance that support environmental justice. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys:
- The same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and
- Equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.
National Priority Areas
- National Priority Area 1: Training and Technical Assistance for Small Public Water Systems to Achieve and Maintain Compliance with the SDWA, including Improving Financial and Managerial Capacity.
- Under this National Priority Area, the EPA is soliciting applications to provide training and technical assistance for small public water systems to enable such systems to achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and to build their financial and managerial capacity to provide safe drinking water over the long term. The ability for small systems to attain and maintain financial and managerial capacity is critical to ensuring that systems can reliably and sustainably provide safe water to its customers. For purposes of this announcement, “small public water systems” are defined as community and non-community water systems serving a population of less than 10,000 persons. These public water systems include small community water systems and small transient or non-transient non-community water systems such as hospitals, schools, and restaurants. The majority of community water systems in the nation serve fewer than 10,000 persons. Approximately 80 percent of these systems serve 500 persons or fewer.
- The goals of the training and technical assistance activities under this priority area are to assist small public water systems in achieving and maintaining compliance with the SDWA and the NPDWRs, and to assist with their financial and managerial capabilities in order to reliably provide safe drinking water over the long term. Further, the goals involve supporting utilities in the development of customer assistance programs or providing outreach for such programs. Applicants may also provide training and technical assistance to utilities on consumer assistance programs and on how to help qualifying households obtain assistance through consumer assistance programs.
- National Priority Area 2: Training and Technical Assistance for Small Publicly-Owned Wastewater Systems and Onsite/Decentralized Wastewater Systems to Help Improve Water Quality and Sustainable Operations.
- Under this National Priority Area, the EPA is soliciting applications to provide training and technical assistance to: (a) small publicly-owned wastewater systems; and (b) communities served by onsite/decentralized wastewater systems. Under this priority area, the application must address the two elements further described below. For the purposes of this announcement, “small publicly-owned wastewater systems” are defined as wastewater systems or treatment facilities that have permitted and actual flows of less than 1 million gallons per day (MGD) and are: owned by a public entity (such as a municipality) or not-for-profit entity (such as regional sewer districts), and/or serve Tribal communities (with the exception of systems that are owned by U.S. federal entities). “Onsite/decentralized systems” are defined as: publicly owned or privately- owned onsite or clustered systems used to collect, treat, and disperse or reclaim wastewater from a small community, Tribe, or service area that are publicly- or privately-owned and/or serve Tribal communities (with the exception of systems that are owned by U.S. federal entities).
- The goals of the training and technical assistance activities are to assist small publicly-owned wastewater systems and onsite/decentralized wastewater systems to improve operational performance and sustainable operations over the long term, thereby improving public health and water quality. Applicants should describe how they will document and report on progress toward meeting these goals as described in Section I.D, the EPA’s Strategic Plan and Anticipated Environmental Results. Applicants should also describe a process whereby they will consult with the appropriate regulatory authority (such as the state or territorial primacy agency or the EPA regional direct implementation coordinator) in each state, Tribe, or territory in which the assistance is to be expended or otherwise made available prior to providing training and technical assistance in that state, Tribe, or territory. In particular, applicants should indicate how they will work with the state, territory, or the EPA to identify the systems in greatest need of assistance; how they will keep those agencies, the EPA grant project officer, and appropriate EPA regional coordinators informed regarding the assistance provided; and how they will document these results.
- National Priority Area 3: Training and Technical Assistance for Private Drinking Water Well Owners to Help Improve Water Quality
- Under this National Priority Area, the EPA is soliciting applications to provide training and technical assistance to private drinking water well owners. For the purposes of this announcement, a “private well” is defined as a well owned by a homeowner or group of homeowners that supplies drinking water to fewer than 25 people and contains fewer than 15 service connections.
- The goals of the training and technical assistance activities are to assist private drinking water well owners with information they need to protect their drinking water supply and improve water quality. Applicants should describe how they will document and report on progress toward meeting these goals as described in Section I.D, the EPA’s Strategic Plan and Anticipated Environmental Results. Applicants should also describe a process whereby they will consult with the appropriate regulatory authority (such as the state or territorial primacy agency or the EPA regional direct implementation coordinators) in each state, Tribe, or territory in which the assistance is to be expended or otherwise made available prior to providing training and technical assistance in that state, Tribe, or territory. In particular, applicants should indicate how they will work with the state, territory, or the EPA to identify the drinking water well owners in greatest need of assistance; how they will keep those agencies, the EPA grant project officer, and appropriate EPA regional coordinators informed regarding the assistance provided; and how they will document these results.
Funding Information
The total amount of federal funding potentially available under this announcement is approximately $30,700,000 depending on agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, agency priorities, and other applicable considerations.
The following are the anticipated amounts of total awards in each of the three National Priority Areas.
- Two to three awards are anticipated under the Training and Technical Assistance for Small Public Water Systems to Achieve and Maintain Compliance with the SDWA, including Improving Financial and Managerial Capacity National Priority Area, ranging from approximately $9,000,000 to no more than $13,000,000 in federal funds, depending on the amount requested and the overall size and scope of the project(s). The total anticipated amount of federal funding to potentially be made available under this National Priority Area is approximately $26,000,000, depending on agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The project period is expected to be two years.
- One award is anticipated under the Training and Technical Assistance for Small Publicly-Owned Wastewater Systems and Onsite/Decentralized Wastewater Systems to Help Improve Water Quality and Sustainable Operations, National Priority Area for no more than $1,250,000 in federal funds, depending on the amount requested and the overall size and scope of the project(s). The total anticipated amount of federal funding to potentially be made available under this National Priority Area is approximately $1,250,000, depending on agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The project period is expected to be two years.
- One award is anticipated under the Training and Technical Assistance for Private Well Owners to Help Improve Water Quality National Priority Area for no more than $3,450,000 in federal funds, depending on the amount requested and the overall size and scope of the project(s). The total anticipated amount of federal funding to potentially be made available under this National Priority Area is approximately $3,450,000, depending on agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The project period is expected to be two years.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants under this competition are nonprofit organizations, nonprofit private universities and colleges, and public institutions of higher education. For-profit organizations are not eligible to apply. States, municipalities, Tribal governments, and individuals are not eligible to apply. Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities are not eligible to apply. The EPA may ask applicants to demonstrate that they are eligible for funding under this announcement.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
