SSI
-------
-------
Executive Summary
Protecting public health and improving water quality are the major goals of the Clean Water Act. Small
communities, for the purposes of this program, (populations of 10,000 or less), Indian tribes, and
Colonias often experience difficulty in achieving these goals. Many communities and tribes could avoid
costly construction projects through improved management skills, adequate financing, appropriate
technology, and better wastewater treatment system operation and maintenance.
The EPA's Office of Wastewater Management provides water and wastewater services to tribal and
community leaders through its "Small Communities Team." The team partners with organizations to
manage programs of technical assistance, financial assistance, and education & training to small
communities and Indian tribes. i
The team's mission is to administer programs through which small communities can access information
or financial and technical assistance to achieve adequate, cost-effective wastewater systems, and to help
focus and increase assistance efforts for small communities. '. , ......
Small Community Team members manage the following main program areas:
• The Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP) addresses management, financing,
construction, and the Clean Water Act compliance needs of wastewater treatment, collection, and
disposal systems in small communities;
S In FY1999 RCAP provided on-site technical assistance for wastewater projects for 95
small, rural communities in 21 States. Projects included 59 facilities development, 9
management and finance, 15 operations and maintenance, and 12 planning,
development, and training projects.
• The On-Site Technical Assistance Program - 104(g) provides no-cost, over-the-shoulder
operation and maintenance, financial, and technical assistance to municipal wastewater treatment
plant operators;
i
%/" InFY 1999, the Program assisted 988 facilities, 915 of those facilities have either
achieved or maintained compliance, or improved plant performance. The Program's
success rate over the past year has been greater than 90 percent.
• The National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC) provides national information on collection
and distribution systems, this information helps small communities meet their wastewater
treatment needs; '
S NSFC maintains four databases that contain articles from professional journals, listings
of manufacturers and consultants, innovative and alternative facilities, and regulations.
In FY 1999, these databases continued to expand to include information geared to
community-sized wastewater facilities. Plans are being made to make more of the
information available on-line. ' \
-i-
-------
« The National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities (NETCSC) supports
environmental trainers who work with small communities to improve drinking water,
wastewater, and solid waste services;
S A new drinking water course for local officials began production in FY1999 as -well as
incorporation of "distance learning" components into several NETCSC courses.
NETCSC also sponsored a training "Academy " to promote creation of State training
centers for onsite wastewater systems. NETCSC conducted 15 training sessions with 16
co-sponsors, reaching 325 participants in 7 EPA regions and representing 12 States.
NETCSC also served as a regional downlink site for 2 satellite video training
conferences.
• Decentralized Wastewater Systems are individual on-site septic systems, cluster systems, and
alternative wastewater technologies. When properly sited, designed, installed and maintained,
on-site/decentralized systems provide a long-term and cost-effective solution to wastewater
treatment;
v' Completion of a Report to Congress in January 1999, summarizing the project and its
accomplishments and provision of financial and technical support for establishment of
onsite training centers.
« The Colonias program provides assistance to low-income, generally unincorporated communities
along the U.S. / Mexico border which lack basic wastewater infrastructure;
v' Ninety-one (91) Colonia projects were underway in Texas and New Mexico, with 32 in
the planning phase, 17 under design or construction, and 5 which construction has been
completed. About 89,350 Colonia residents are or will benefit from these projects in
672 Colonias.
• The Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Grant Program provides grant funds for the planning, design
and construction of tribal wastewater treatment facilities; and
/ In FY 1999 twenty-eight (28) tribal wastewater systems were funded from the set-aside.
» The Alaska Native Village (ANVs) Program help ANVs and rural Alaska communities
fund construction of drinking water and wastewater sanitation facilities.
/ In FY 1999 fifty-one (51) drinking water and wastewater sanitation systems were
funded with the funds provided for Alaska rural and native communities.
The team's programs help to ensure the attainment of adequate wastewater treatment services by small
communities so that their water quality and public health needs are met.
For more information regarding these programs simply visit the Municipal Assistance Branch's Small
Communities web-site at www.epa.gov/owm/smallc.htm. or call 202-260-5856.
-11-
-------
Contents
Executive Summary .„• i-ii
Small Communities ; .2
Roleof the Small Communities Team 2
Small Community Needs 3
1999 Program Accomplishments
Technical Assistance:
Field Assistance '. 4
• Rural Community Assistance Program : 4.5
Demonstration Projects 6
National Small Flows Clearinghouse Onsite Demonstration Program 6
Wastewater Treatment Grants , i 6-9
Clean Water Act Indian Set-Aside Grant Program 6-7
* Alaska Native Village Sanitation Grant Program 7
U.S. / Mexico Tribal Border Grant Program 7
• Colonias Wastewater Assistance Program ,. ." g-9
Training:
Operator Training 9.10
National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities 10-11
Outreach: ;
Small Community Outreach and Education (SCORE) 11-12
• The National Small Flows Clearinghouse 12-13
Team Publications : 14
Team Contacts... 15
-1-
-------
SMALL COMMUNITIES
EPA defines "small communities" for this program as those that have fewer than 10,000 people
and that have inadequate wastewater collection or treatment systems. Among them are
communities and tribes throughout the United States as well as native villages in Alaska and
economically disadvantaged areas along the United States-Mexico border. More than a million
homes in America still lack basic indoor plumbing, and many small communities have central
wastewater systems that need extensive repair. These conditions pose serious health and
environmental problems for residents.
Team Mission:
To administer programs through which small
communities can access information or
financial and technical assistance to achieve
adequate, cost-effective wastewater systems.
To help focus and increase assistance efforts
for small communities.
Team Vision:
To help ensure the attainment of adequate
wastewater treatment services by small under-
served communities so that their water quality
and public health needs are met.
(Wetlands area)
Role of the Small Communities Team:
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Wastewater Management (OWM)
administers programs that can help small, rural, and under-served communities get adequate
wastewater treatment and disposal systems. These programs are managed in the Municipal
Support Division (MSD) by the Small Communities Team (the team). Chartered by MSD
management in December 1997, the team was created to help small communities attain
wastewater treatment services that meet water quality and public health standards. The team
consists of program analysts and environmental protection specialists who manage program
resources and activities. The team's web-site can be found at www.epa.gov/owm/smallc.htm.
While some of the programs administered by the team provide direct financial assistance to
build wastewater facilities, most take the form of information development and technical
expertise initiatives conducted by our partners that can help communities solve their own
problems. Team activities stimulate outreach that delivers appropriate information to decision
makers in needy communities. Outreach is conducted by partners who receive EPA funding for
a variety of activities and products, such as newsletters, hotlines, wastewater system
information, over-the-shoulder technical assistance for wastewater operators, technology and
management demonstration projects, and delivery of training materials to environmental
trainers, educators, and others who work with small communities.
-2-
-------
This report highlights accomplishments of the assistance programs the team manages. It
describes team programs and outreach initiatives, resources provided, and major 1999
accomplishments that helped small communities comply with Clean Water Act (CWA)
requirements and improve their quality of life. Team contacts in EPA's Municipal Assistance
Branch can provide specific information about the programs.
Small Community Needs
The wastewater treatment needs of small communities are significant. According to the 1996
Needs Survey Report to Congress, total documented needs for communities with fewer than
10,000 people are $13.8 billion -11 percent of the Nation's total documented needs. Also, small
communities have greater basic infrastructure needs than larger communities: secondary
treatment comprises 28 percent of the total documented needs for small communities compared
to 20 percent for larger ones, and new collector sewers account for only 6 percent of the need for
larger communities but 29 percent for small ones. These statistics reflect, in part, continuing
efforts to extend wastewater collection and treatment to small communities. As part of this
effort, the EPA 1999 Congressional Appropriations Act provided approximately $46.7 million
for small community wastewater programs administered by the team. The chart below shows
how those funds were distributed.
Program
Small Communities Team Program Funding
FY1999 FY1998
FY1997
Rural Community Assistance Program
National Small Flows Clearinghouse
On-site Demonstration Program
Clean Water Act Indian
Set-Aside Grant Program
Alaska Native Village Sanitation Grant Program
U.S. / Colonias Wastewater
Assistance Program
U.S. / Mexico Tribal
Border Grant Program
Operator Training Program- 104(g)(l)
National Environmental Training Center
for Small Communities
Small Community Outreach and
Education (SCORE)
National Small Flows Clearinghouse
TOTAL
$545,000
$1.25 million
$6.7 million
$30 million !
Covered by
Border program
$3 .9 million
$1.79 million
$1 million
Voluntary j
support !
$1.55 million
$46.7 million
$545,000
$1.25 million
$6.7 million
$15 million
$50 million
(Texas)
$2.1 million
$1.79 million
$1 million
Voluntary
support
$1.55 million
S79.9 million
$521,000
$1 million
. $6.7 million
$15 million
$50 million
(Texas)
$4.5 million
$1.79 million
$1 million
Voluntary
support
$1.52 million
$82 million
-3-
-------
Technical Assistance: 1999 Program Accomplishments
To help communities build and operate self-sufficient wastewater systems that comply with
CWA requirements, EPA and Congress over the years have made funds available to create
several information, training, and technical assistance programs. Often communities and tribes
can avoid costly construction projects by improving their management skills, seeking adequate
financing, selecting appropriate technology, and improving the operation and maintenance of
their facilities. In FY 1999, many small communities were able to do just that through EPA
assistance programs managed by OWM's Small Communities Team.
Field Assistance..
Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP)
RCAP's small community wastewater project operates under a cooperative agreement funded
by EPA's congressional add-on grant. The program is carried out through a national network of
nonprofit organizations that focus on helping small, rural, and under-served communities meet
Clean Water Act requirements. Many of the communities are populated by low-income
minorities who have problems addressing their wastewater treatment issues. The program
targets:
• Communities without sewers under administrative orders;
• Small systems with operations and maintenance problems;
• Communities with individual permits and flows less than 1 MOD that are in violation of
their discharge permits;
• Communities that need to upgrade their wastewater collection, treatment and/or
disposal facilities in order to meet Clean Water Act requirements; and
• Small, rural communities with other management, financing, construction, operations
and technical needs including, but not limited to, an inability to access public financing;
a history of non-compliance; the absence of institutional capacity to implement facility
improvements whether central or non-central solutions; and an insufficient financial
base to construct, operate, manage and maintain facilities.
RCAP Funding-
In FY 1999, EPA targeted $545,000 for RCAP's technical
assistance efforts. An additional $27,250 of RCAP's
in-kind contributions provided a total of $572,250 for the
small community wastewater project.
RCAP Accomplishments-
The FY 1999 accomplishments include the following:
(Sewer line extension)
-4-
-------
RCAPprovided on-site technical assistance for wastewater projects for 95 small, rural
communities in 21 States. Projects included 59 facilities development, 9 management
and finance, 15 operations and maintenance, and 12 planning, development, and
training projects;
RCAP leveraged $4,189,170 to assist small communities, most -with fewer than 3,000
residents. A population of 105,679 directly benefittedfrom RCAP's assistance; and
RCAP networked with a variety of coordinators and stakeholders including EPA
Regional staff, community officials, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural
Utilities Service (RUS), and Small Towns Environment Program (STEP) personnel.
RCAP Success Stories for selected Small Community
Wastewater Projects-
V
Lake Tekakwitha, Missouri
Pendleton Mobile Home Park and Gara, Missouri
Wright City, Oklahoma
West Madison Utility District, Madison County, Mississippi
Pine Valley Plantation Mobile Home Park, Belchertown, Massachusetts
Damascus, Virginia
Delta City, North Carolina
In FY 99 RCAP provided technical
assistance for wastewater projects in the following
states (AR, CA, ID, IA, LA, ME, MA, MS, MO,
NE, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD TX, VA, WI,
and WY) which are shaded on this map.
To read highlights of their accomplishments, visit RCAP's web-site at www.rcap.org.
-5-
-------
Demonstration Projects.
National Onsite Demonstration Project
Funded by EPA and administered through the National Small
Flows Clearinghouse (www.nsfc.wvu. edu) , this multi-phased
project demonstrates the effectiveness of alternative on-site
water technologies (treatment of wastewater on the property
where it originates, or by means of cluster systems serving
several homes). The program calls for construction of on-site
systems at various locations in more than 10 states. It also
includes monitoring of systems performance, documentation of
costs, active public education programs, and development of
management approaches to assure proper operation and
maintenance. The program aims to develop model programs for
managing and maintaining on-site systems and for training local
officials, installers, and engineers. Congressional add-on
funding has provided $6 million for the program through FY
1999. The FY 1999 accomplishments include the following:
(Sand filter)
Completion of a Report to Congress in January, 1999, summarizing the project and its
accomplishments;
Provision of financial and technical support for establishment ofonsite training centers;
Completion of a report summarizing the results of phase I of the project;
Preparation and dissemination of septic system statistical information derived from Census
Bureau data bases; and
Establishment of a partnership -with the Appalachian Regional Commission to study
decentralized wastewater approaches for Appalachia.
Wastewater Treatment Grants.
Clean Water Act Indian Set-Aside (ISA) Grant Program
This grant program helps pay for planning,
designing, and constructing wastewater treatment
systems for Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages
(ANVs). All federally recognized tribes, ANVs, and
tribes on former reservations in Oklahoma are
eligible to apply for an ISA grant. The EPA
administers this grant program in cooperation with
IHS. This partnership optimizes the technical
resources available through both agencies to address
tribal sanitation needs. Each year, 0.5 percent of the
CWA Title VI (State Revolving Fund) is set aside
for construction of tribal wastewater systems.
Through FY 1999, the EPA ISA Program has
disbursed more than S86 million for 176 projects.
(Wastewater treatment lagoon)
-6-
-------
The FY 1999 accomplishments include the following:
• Twenty-eight tribal wastewater systems were funded from the $6.7 million set-aside; and
• Outreach materials — tribal wastewater success stories and a revamped Indian home-
page can be accessed at www. epa. eov/owm/indian/. These tools were made available to
increase tribal awareness and use of the CWISA program.
Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Success Stories-
«/ Oglala Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge \
Reservation, SD
i/ Tohono O 'odham Nation, Sil Nakya
Community, AZ
t/' Makah Wastewater Facility, WA
i/ Koyuk Wastewater Facility, AK :
S Savoonga Wastewater Facility, AK
Alaska Native Village (ANVs) Sanitation Grant Program
Congress and EPA created this grant program in 1995 to help
ANVs and rural Alaska comniunities fund construction of
drinking water and wastewater sanitation facilities. Of the 268
communities in Alaska, 192 are considered ANVs. More than
half of these villages have unacceptable drinking water and
wastewater sanitation systems-to service their residents (about
75,000 people). In some villages, the occurrence of fecal
contamination and communicable disease is quite high. Most of
these villages have only basic jsanitation systems, such as pit
privies or "honey bucket1 haul systems as the sole means of
sewage collection and disposal. As of FY 1999, $90 million has
been made available for more than 185 sanitation systems in
these communities and villages. The State of Alaska has
provided matching funds equivalent to EPA's investment. The
FY 1999 accomplishments include the following:
(Wastewater lagoon and wildlife area)
• Fifty-one (51) drinking water and wastewater sanitation systems were funded with the $30
million provided for Alaska rural and native communities.
U.S. / Mexico Tribal Border Grant Program
Funding for Indian tribes within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the United States-Mexico border
was appropriated by Congress in 1996 to assist tribes with the planning, design, and/or
construction of high-priority drinking water and wastewater treatment projects. Approximately
$22 million has been made available to address the pressing need for infrastructure financing on
Indian reservations and on a number of Indian lands along the' border. Twenty-two projects have
been funded. The FY 1999 accomplishment include the following:
• Seven projects received grant funding totaling $3.9 million.
-7-
-------
U.S. Colonias Wastewater Assistance Program
Colonias are impoverished communities along the United States / Mexico border which evolved
out when developers sold small tracts on marginal land in unincorporated subdivisions to
low-income farm workers who could not afford adequate better housing. Unacceptable
environmental and sanitation conditions, including a lack of safe drinking water and wastewater
treatment services, have caused a high rate of hepatitis A and gastrointestinal diseases in these
communities. Approximately 1,200 colonias, with a total population exceeding 300,000, have
been identified in Texas and New Mexico. A few also exist in Arizona and possibly in
California. In 1993, EPA began awarding grants to Texas and New Mexico to construct
wastewater facilities and alleviate these unsanitary conditions.
Congress has appropriated $320 million from fiscal year
1993 through fiscal year 1998, when specific funding for
Colonias was completed. Colonias are eligible for
additional funding through the general border
environmental infrastructure program, also funded by EPA.
Federal grants, matched by state resources, help finance
construction of water and wastewater facilities in Colonias.
Community general technical assistance, preparation of
project proposals, overall management of infrastructure
projects, technical review of project designs, and project
construction management are provided by the Texas Water
Development Board and the New Mexico Environment
Department, which are responsible for the day-to-day
program management. TheFY 1999 accomplishment
include the following:
(Unidentified Colonia)
Seventy-eight (78) Colonia projects were underway in Texas, with 24 in the planning
phase and 17 under design or construction. About 89,350 Colonia residents are or will
benefit from these projects in 672 Colonias;
In New Mexico, 13 Colonia projects which include 8 in the planning or design phase, and
5 which construction has been completed. These projects will serve a population of
13,800 ; and
EPA assisted the Texas Attorney General's efforts promoting legislation for closing the
loopholes that allowed colonias to develop. The state legislature has adopted such laws
and the Attorney General has taken legal action against developers who sold Colonia
lots without basic water and sewer services.
-8-
-------
Colonias Programs Provides a Clean Start- :
For decades, communities have existed along the United States-Mexico border lacking
the most basic services that U.S. residents generally takeifor granted-safe drinking water,
wastewater collection and treatment, paved roads, garbage pickup, and, in some cases,
even electricity. One such cornmimity?l^Il Golonia, located near EdmbVg^Texas, did
not have access to sewage treatment since the 1920s. Most of the il,300 residents who
live mere did not have water service in thelriiom^
drinking-and often there was no indoor plumbing^ Throughi the use of grants andloans
from ;EPA, the United States Department of Agriculture, the State of Texas, andjthe City
ofEdinburg, Lull residents-having endured decades of neglect-now have modem "water
and wastewater facilities. '
Training: 1999 Program Accomplishments.
The Small Communities Team manages outreach programs that offer various educational and
hands-on training opportunities for people living in small communities or for owners or operators
of small wastewater systems. Programs focus on a variety of operator training, curricula
development, outreach workshops and conferences, and peer!matching activities. The fiscal year
1999 program accomplishments are highlighted below.
Operator Training Program - 104(g)(I)
Authorized under section 104(g)(l) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1982. The Program
provides no-cost, over-the-shoulder, on-site technical, financial, and operation and maintenance
assistance to operators of small municipality owned wastewater treatment plants. Assistance is
offered to plants that discharge less than or equal to 5 million gallons of effluent per day, and are
either out of compliance or in danger of being out of compliance with then- wastewater discharge
{NPDES} permit, or are trying to improve overall plant performance.
Since the Program's inception in 1982, a network of forty-seven States
or State 104(g)(l) training centers have been set up throughout the
United States. From that time 6000 municipal WWTPs {a modest
count} have been assisted by the Program's technical trainers.
Specifically in 1998 and 1999, the Program respectively assisted 999
and 988 facilities, 1805 of those facilities have either achieved or
maintained compliance, or improved plant performance. Over the
course of the past two years, the Program's success rate has been greater
than 90 percent. The FY 1999 accomplishment include the following:
(Municipal wastewater
treatment plant)
EPA regional offices allocated more than $1.79 million to 48 states to continue onsite
technical assistance for wastewater treatment plant operators across the country;
-9-
-------
• A web-site has been developed for the program, -which lists all pertinent information
regarding training center and EPA regional office contacts, which can be accessed at
www.epa.gov/owm/tomm.htm;
• The Maryland Center for Environmental Training is preparing the National 104 (g) Program
training center survey and Individual Regional reports. These reports will help to better the
Program by identifying strengths and weakness, and how to improve problematic areas;
• A Tribal Wastewater and Technical Assistance Center is being established under section
104(g)(l) of the CWA. The center will aide Tribes with wastewater concerns and help to
implement the Office of Water's Indian Strategy, which states by the year 2005, EPA will
reduce the number of homes in Indian country with inadequate wastewater sanitation
systems by twenty-five percent (25%); and
• Approximately 150 technical assistance providers attended the 16th Annual National
Operator Training Conference, which will be held in Providence, Rhode Island from
June 6-9, 1999.
National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities (NETCSC)
NETCSC serves as a national training and education center for
environmental trainers to improve the quality of wastewater, drinking water,
and solid waste services in communities with fewer than 10,000 people.
NETCSC develops new training curricula, redesigns existing curricula, and
partnering with other organizations presents training courses around the
country to help small communities meet Federal and State environmental
requirements. NETCSC supports a toll-free technical information resource
center that maintains several electronic databases and a materials repository
for environmental trainers. The center publishes a quarterly newsletter, a resource catalog, a
directory of State onsite training centers, and maintains a website. Created in 1991, NETCSC
operates under an EPA-NETCSC cooperative agreement funded by a Congressional add-on. It is
located at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its toll-free number is 1-
800-624-8301. Its website address is http://www.estd.wvu.edu/netc/netcsc-homepage.html.
The following are highlights of NETCSC's FY1999 accomplishments:
• Training Development and Delivery. A new drinking water course for local officials
began production in FY99 as well as incorporation of "distance learning" components
into several NETCSC courses. NETCSC also sponsored a training "Academy " to
promote creation of State training centers for onsite wastewater systems. The event drew
26 leading trainers representing onsite training centers in 20 States and Canada as well
as a regional center and the private sector. NETCSC conducted 15 training sessions
with 16 co-sponsors, reaching 325 participants in 7 EPA regions and representing 12
States. NETCSC also served as a regional downlink site for 2 satellite video training
conferences. Some NETCSC's courses have been approved for continuing education
credits in at least 3 States. Over the years NETCSC has developed 32 courses;
-10-
-------
Training Assistance. NETCSC training offerings earned a 95 percent customer
satisfaction rating from course participants. NETCSC provided training information or
products to 330 environmental professionals and expanded information in its databases
on training activities, materials, and organizations. NETCSC displayed materials at a
total of 26 national and State conferences and negotiated cooperative ventures with 16
national and State organization to share and distribute training information;
Promotions and Outreach. NETCSC prepared and sent out 11 hard copy news releases
to various news outlets and prepared 3 promotional foldouts and other marketing
materials for its curricula presentations and other activities. 16 external publications
carried NETCSC-related stories;
Website. NETCSC's website logged 4,500 hits in FY1999 including log-onsfrom 30
countries outside the United States. Among them were Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South
Africa, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Australia, Poland, Belgium, Austria, Spain, England,
Ireland, Argentina, and Uruguay. NETCSC completed 4 updates to the website
including 3 links to other organizations' web-sites; arid
• Publications. NETCSC published 4 issues of its free /quarterly newsletter E-train and
distributed each to 6,600 subscribers, up 300 from las f year. Also published were a
training resource catalog and a national directory ofonsite wastewater training centers.
Outreach: 1999 Program Accomplishments
—^^^—^^^^—^—^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^mmm
Several EPA outreach initiatives undertaken by team-managed programs brought new
information, knowledge, and skills to small under-served communities. Databases, telephone
hotlines, publications, and presentations assisted a variety of small community audiences with
their wastewater needs. The following describes several outreach highlights for FY 1999.
Small Community Outreach and Education (SCORE) '
This information network is part of EPA's information and technical
assistance outreach efforts for small communities. EPA's wastewater
program created SCORE in 1988 to help small communities build and
maintain self-sufficient wastewater facilities that meet CWA
requirements. SCORE works with States, Federal agencies, public
interest and advocacy groups, and educational institutions to deliver its
messages to audiences: namely that self-sufficient wastewater1 facilities
result from appropriate technology, sound financial management and
operations, pollution prevention, and public education. States play the
key role in outreach delivery to their communities. EPA in past years
provided small grants, most under $10,000 to States to conduct small community outreach
activities. The SCORE network includes EPA headquarters and regional SCORE coordinators as
well as State and advocacy organizations. SCORE serves as a vehicle to spread the messages of
the various programs managed by the Small Communities Team as well as many other EPA
activities and publications. ;
-11-
-------
In FY 1999, SCORE networked with other small community outreach programs in headquarters,
the regions, and advocacy organizations on small community activities and products. These
included team programs, the headquarters Office of State and Local Relations, the Office of
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, the Small Town Advisory Subcommittee of the Local
Government Advisory Committee, the International City Managers Association (ICMA)
newsletter SCAN, National Association of Towns & Townships (NATaT). The ICMA
newsletter has carried several stories on Small Team publications and activities and articles have
also appeared in the Water Environment newsletter. The team and regional SCORE coordinators
have distributed small community publications and materials to SCORE partners. The
headquarters SCORE coordinator has enlisted the services of several regional SCORE
coordinators to serve as technical reviewers on courses produced by the National Environmental
Training Center for Small Communities.
The National Small Flows Clearinghouse
The National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC) serves as the national collection and
distribution center for information on small community wastewater systems and
innovative/alternative technologies. NSFC helps small communities find affordable, onsite
wastewater treatment services through various means. These include a toll-free technical
assistance hotline, an Internet home page with online discussion groups, computer databases, two
newsletters, a journal, and technical publications and videos. NSFC helps America's small
communities save thousands of dollars in consulting and construction costs while maintaining
their quality of life. NSFC is the only national resource of its kind dealing with small
community wastewater infrastructure. It has become a model for other agencies seeking to
establish technical assistance programs for small communities. NSFC is supported by a
Congressional add-on grant. In FY 1999, NSFC distributed over 100,000 products. Some
highlights of its services during FY 1999 are listed below:
• Web-site: Usage continued to increase, to over
2,500 distinct hits per month;
• Computer Databases: NSFC maintains four
databases that contain (1) articles from
professional journals, (2) listings of
manufacturers and consultants, (3) innovative and
alternative facilities, and (4) regulations. In FY
1999, these databases continued to expand to
include information geared to community-sized
wastewater facilities. Plans were made to make
more of the information available online;
• Periodicals: The format for the quarterly
newsletter, Small Flows, was revised, and refereed
technical articles have been incorporated instead
of publishing in a separate journal. Pipeline, for
small community governments,
continued to be published quarterly; and
(Drip irrigation system)
-12-
-------
Toll-Free Hotline: Calls to the hotline continued to increase, from 1,300-1,500 per month
in FY1997 to about 2,000per month in FY1999.
Sometimes, It Only Takes a Phone Call- y
It all started with a phone call from Rockwall, Texas; A homeowner's association in
that small community east of Dallas needed help;The communities' septic systems
were failmg and meykriew^^
attention of regulatory ;agenci^ forming a
public improvement district and e^eniing^ewersi^mlamea plant. The
ISlljOOO^errhousehdid ^ for many in the
community; Tlieiassoeiatibnxalied^ Using
ahaterials supplied^ consultants and
state officials who could help them, the group decided on a small-diameter sewer
system discharging into the treatment plant At^^acost of .about $2,400 per household^
me system is saving the community about $8,600 per connection. The group has
formed a non-profit corporation, is accepting memberships in the association as a
management unit, and will soon select an engineer to design its system. One phone
call put a small community in touch with more than 35 trained professionals who
could help them.
-13-
-------
Team Publications:
A listing of informational material published by members of the Small Communities Team
follows:
• Fact Sheet: Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP) Help for Small Community
Wastewater Projects, EPA 832-F-99-013, Facts Sheet #2.0, January 1999;
• Federal Funding Sources for Small Community Wastewater Systems, EPA 832-F-97-004,
November 1997;
• Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Grant Program Success Stories, October 1999, located at
www.epa.gov/owm/indian/;
• Small Community Fact Sheets (published October 1999) on the wastewater treatment
needs and financial conditions of communities with less than or equal to 10,000 people,
located at www.epa. gov/owm/sc/facts.htm::
/ The 1990 U.S. Decennial Census of Housing and Population
EPA 832-F-99-060)
/ The 1996 Clean Water Needs Survey (EPA 832-F-99-058)
/" The USDA Rural Utilities Service (EPA 832-F-99-059)
-------
Team Contacts
The Small Communities Team is made up of staff from the Municipal Support Division of EPA's
Office of Wastewater Management. Current team members or advisors and their programs and
telephone numbers are as follows:
Charter Manager:
Gary Hudiburgh, Chief, Municipal Assistance Branch 202-260-4926
CWA Indian Set-Aside Grant Program
Alaska Native Village Sanitation Grant Program
U.S. / Mexico Tribal Border Grant Program
Grant Program (Sylvia Bell) i 202-260-7255
Rural Community Assistance
Program, Inc. {1-888-321-7227}
Web-site: www.rcap .prg '
(Maria Campbell) 202-260-5815
National Environmental Training Center for
Small Communities {1-800-624-8301} ,
Web-site: www.estd.wvu.edu/netc/netcsc-homepage.html I
SCORE (Betty Ford) f 202-260-8510
National Small Flows
Clearinghouse {1-800-624-8301}
Web-site: www.nsfc.wvu.edu j
NSFC On-site Demonstration Program
(Steve Hogye)..... ; 202-260-5841
U.S. Colonias Wastewater Assistance Program ;
(Alfonso Blanco) ; 202-260-3695
Wastewater Operator Training Program - 104(g)(l) '\
(Curt Baranowski) , ; 202-260-5806
Small Communities Team Web-site: www.epa. gov/owm/smallc.htm
Small Communities Team Address: United State Environmental Protection Agency
Municipal Assistance Branch
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue (MC - 4204)
Washington, DC 20460
Advisors:
Decentralized Wastewater Technologies (Joyce Hudson)....: 202-260-1290
Small Hardship Grant Program (Stephanie Von Feck) '. 202-260-9762
Technology Transfer (Charles Vanderlyn) 202-260-7277
-15-
-------
------- |