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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