United States Office of Water .,—...••- EPA 832-F 00 077
Environmental Protection (4204) - August 2000
A9encY Fact Sheet #3.0
&EPA Fact Sheet
Rural Community Assistance Program
(RCAP) Help for Small Community
Wastewater Projects
EPA'S Small This project is a training and technical assistance program focused on addressing wastewater treatment
Community 3nd disposal issues in sma11' rural and tribai communities which have difficulties complying with Clear
J . Water Act (CWA) requirements. These communities often lack adequate financing, management
Wastewater Project skills and training to construct, operate, manage, and maintain wastewater treatment facilities or
systems. Institutional capacity to implement facility improvements or to address watershed pollution
threats is often nonexistent. In a partnership agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), the Rural Community Assistance Program, Inc., (RCAP) provides the appropriate financial
management, operations and maintenance, and other community-specific technical assistance through
the Small Community Wastewater Project. RCAP receives a grant from the EPA to support small
community wastewater system needs.
RCAP's technical assistance activities are coordinated and selected with state and local
governments or tribal pollution control agencies, EPA's regional Small Community Outreach and
Education (SCORE) coordinators and other appropriate organizations to address small community
wastewater treatment problems. RCAP targets:
• unsewered communities under administrative orders;
• communities with operations and maintenance problems;
• small, rural communities with individual permits and flows less than one million gallons per day
(<1MGD) that are in violation of their discharge permits;
• communities that need to upgrade their wastewater collection, treatment, and/or disposal facilities
to meet CWA requirements; and
• small, rural communities with other management, financing, construction, operations, and technical
needs including, but not limited to, an inability to obtain public financing; a history of
noncompliance with CWA requirements; the absence of institutional capacity to implement facility
improvements, regardless of whether these are central or non-central solutions; an insufficient
financial base to construct, operate, manage and maintain facilities; and, watershed pollution
threats.
The Project is a component of the Small Communities team in the Municipal Support Division's
Municipal Assistance Branch. The team's goal is to administer programs through which small
communities can access information, financial resources, and technical assistance to achieve adequate
and cost-effective wastewater systems. Visit EPA's webpage at "www.epa.gov/owm/smallc.htm" to
access highlights of RCAP's selected small community wastewater projects and to obtain information
for the team's other small community programs
What is RCAP?
RCAP is a national network of nonprofit organizations that provides on-site technical assistance to
rural communities to help them attain and/or maintain adequate wastewater treatment services. RCAP
is also a resource for community leaders seeking technical assistance services for other community-
specific needs. Technical assistance is carried out through RCAP's experienced community
development and leadership specialists at six regional organizations and their service areas. Assistance
is provided at no cost to the participating communities. Most of RCAP's work is done in small, rural
areas with populations of 2,000 or less and with a high percentage of low-income individuals who
display a commitment to addressing their wastewater problems.
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Funding for the
Small Community
Wastewater Project
For the FY 2001 project year, EPA is targeting $995,716 to the Small Community Wastewater Project
Additionally, RCAP will provide $49,800 of in-kind contributions for the Project RCAP is proposin,
to continue to provide technical assistance efforts initiated through previous years' Congressional add-
ons to address small community wastewater treatment and disposal needs. RCAP will provide on site
assistance for approximately 90 projects in 30 states and Puerto Rico. Projects are selected in respons.
to requests from state or tribal pollution control agencies, rural wastewater treatment facility owners
and operators, and rural community residents. Additionally, RCAP will provide 13 training sessions o
workshops for owners and operators. Session topics will include affordable wastewater treatment
technology, appropriate collection, treatment and disposal systems, operations of lagoon systems or
anaerobic digesters, and training on CWA laws or regulations, including wastewater treatment
technology and financing. At least one workshop will be for EPA's guidelines for voluntary
management programs for onsite/decentralized systems to provide training and material to address
onsite/decentralized wastewater disposal needs in small, rural communities.
In FY 2000, the EPA is providing $545,000 for the Small Community Wastewater Project RCAP is
providing an additional $27,250 of in-kind contributions. RCAP is continuing technical assistance
efforts in over 75 small, rural communities in 22 states: Arkansas, California, Idaho, Iowa Kansas
Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina Ohio
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming '
Coordination and networking efforts are continuing with the appropriate state or tribal and federal
agencies, including state water pollution control agencies, EPA Small Community Outreach and
Educanon coordinators and other appropriate personnel. Also, RCAP is conducting a total of six
training sessions for owners and operators on small wastewater treatment technology, system operation
and management issues, operator training, and CWA requirements.
During FY 1999, RCAP provided oh-site technical assistance to 95 small, rural communities in 21
states. RCAP managed 57 facilities development projects, nine management and finance projects 15
operations and maintenance projects, and 11 planning and development projects. Also training was
conducted for owners and operators of small systems. A total of 105,679 people directly benefitted .
from RCAP's assistance during the project year.
For More Information Contact:
Municipal Assistance Branch
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Maria E. Campbell
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (Mail Code 4204)
Washington, D.C. 20460
(202)260-5815
Intemet:http://www.epa.gov/owm / '
Rural Community Assistance Program, Inc. (RCAP)
722 East Market Street, Suite 105
Leesburg, Virginia 20176
1-888-321-7227
703-771-8636 .
Internet: http://www.rcap.org
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