Contact Information

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Wastewater Management
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
202-564-0753
www.epa.gov/owm

West Virginia University
National Environmental Services Center
P.O. Box 6064
Morgantown, WV 26506
800-624-8301/304-293-4191
www.nesc.wvu.edu
Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP), Inc.
1522 K Street, NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005
888-321-7227/202-408-1273
www.rcap.org
Wastewater  Treatment  Programs
Serving Small Communities
                                                                                                                                                               mall communities often face
                                                                                                                                                               significant challenges as they work
                                                                                                                                                               to manage wastewater effectively.
                                                                                                                                                         These challenges can be financial or
                                                                                                                                                         technical. They might include the
                                                                                                                                                         planning, design, and construction of new
                                                                                                                                                         or upgraded systems or the operation
                                                                                                                                                         and maintenance of existing systems.
                                                                                                                                                         Small communities also face challenges
                                                                                                                                                         in working with homeowners to ensure
                                                                                                                                                         that onsite treatment systems like septic
                                                                                                                                                         systems are properly designed, installed,
                                                                                                                                                         and maintained. This brochure provides a
                                                                                                                                                         brief overview of EPA and EPA-sponsored
                                                                                                                                                         programs that provide assistance on
                                                                                                                                                         wastewater issues to small communities.
                                                                            tales
                                                                           mental Protection
                                                                     December 2002
                                                                     EPA 832-R-02-004
                                                                                                          Unitedstates
                                                                                                          Environmental Protection

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EPA-Sponsored
Waste water  Programs
for  Small  Communities

Wasteivater carries a wide variety of pollutants, including toxins, nutrients, and disease-causing
organisms. Improperly treated ivasteivater adversely affects the health of our citizens and our rivers,
lakes, coastal waters, and groundwater. EPA estimates that small communities—communities with fewer
than 10,000 people—will need to spend nearly $14 billion to meet the wastewater-related requirements of
the Clean Water Act.
              Alaska Native Village Sanitation Grant
              Program
              www.epa.gov/owm/mab/indian/anvrs.htm
              Residents of many Alaska Native villages lack
              adequate sanitation systems. This program
              provides grants to such villages for drinking water
              and wastewater facility construction, training, and
              technical assistance.

              Clean Water Tribal Grant Program
              www.epa.gov/owm/mab/indian/cwisa.htm
              Tribal lands cover 13 percent of the nation's
              watersheds. This program provides grants
              to Indian tribes (including tribes on former
              reservations in Oklahoma) and Alaska Native
              villages for planning,  design, and construction of
              wastewater facilities.

              Colonias Program
              www.epa.gov/owm/mab/mexican
              The southwestern United States contains more
              than 1,200 colonias—Hispanic communities along
              the U.S.-Mexican border. This program offers
              grants for the planning, design, and construction
              of wastewater and drinking water facilities in
              those communities.

              National Environmental Training Center
              for Small Communities (NETCSC)
              www.nesc.wvu.edu/netcsc
              The Center develops and delivers training courses
              on wastewater, drinking water, and solid waste
                                                to environmental trainers and state and local
                                                officials. Services include a toll-free technical
                                                assistance hotline, a Web site, computer
                                                databases, newsletters, and other activities.

                                                Management of Onsite/Decentralized
                                                Systems
                                                www.epa.gov/owm/onsite
                                                This effort provides voluntary national
                                                management guidelines and other
                                                information to regulators, community and
                                                business leaders, and citizens in small
                                                communities served by a variety of onsite
                                                wastewater technologies, including septic
                                                systems.

                                                Clean Water State Revolving Loan
                                                Fund Program
                                                www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/cwsrf
                                                All 50 states and Puerto Rico operate loan
                                                programs that provide low-interest financing
                                                for wastewater and other water quality
                                                projects. All of these programs provide
                                                assistance to small communities, and over
                                                half of the states have developed special
                                                programs for disadvantaged communities.

                                                National Small Flows Clearinghouse
                                                (NSFC)
                                                www.nesc.wvu.edu/nsfc
                                                The Clearinghouse collects and distributes
                                                information about small wastewater
treatment solutions. Services include a toll-
free technical assistance hotline, an Internet-
based discussion group, computer databases,
newsletters, and other publications.

Operator On-Site Technical Assistance
Program—104(g)
www.epa.gov/owm/mab/smcomm/104g
This program provides hands-on assistance to
small municipal wastewater treatment plant
operators to address compliance assistance,
maintenance, and performance improvement
matters by providing operations and maintenance,
financial, and technical assistance at no cost to the
community.

Rural Community Assistance Program
(RCAP)
www.rcap.org
This network of nonprofit organizations provides
community-specific information and technical
assistance at no cost. The goal of the program is to
improve the ability of rural communities to plan,
design, operate, and maintain wastewater systems.

Small Communities Outreach and
Education Network (SCORE)
www.epa.gov/owm/mab/smcomm/scmore.htm
SCORE information and outreach help small
communities build and operate self-sufficient
wastewater facilities that meet clean water standards.
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Small  Community
Wastewater Facts

•  More than 70 percent of the
   nation's housing units that have
   inadequate plumbing are in small
   communities.

•  Nearly 1 million housing units in
   small communities use outhouses
   or privies for sewage disposal.

•  More than 19 million housing
   units in small communities use
   septic tanks or cesspools as the
   primary source of treatment.

•  Many small community
   wastewater problems can be
   addressed with assistance from
   EPA's wastewater programs for
   small communities and from
   partner organizations.
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