vvEPA FACT SHEET Water Technical Assistance: Ensuring Equitable Access to Water Infrastructure Funding All communities deserve access to clean, safe, and reliable water. Yet too many communities across America- rural, urban, and suburban, small, and large—face challenges in providing safe drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services to their residents. EPA's free water technical assistance (TA) supports communities to identify water challenges, develop plans, build technical, financial, and managerial capacity, and develop application materials to access water infrastructure funding. EPA collaborates with states, tribes, territories, community partners, and other key stakeholders to implement water TA efforts. The end result: more communities with applications for federal funding, quality water infrastructure, and reliable water services. EPA has a history of providing water technical assistance to support communities to build their capacity and address compliance challenges—and is now expanding its TA efforts to help more communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) presents an unprecedented opportunity to address water infrastructure needs by providing $50 billion in new funding, the largest federal investment in water in the history of our nation. New and existing EPA water TA programs will be utilized to support effective implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This fact sheet summarizes several EPA water TA programs and resources available to local municipalities, tribes, communities, and entities eligible for EPA water infrastructure funding programs. To learn more about EPA water TA, including how to access assistance or sign up for ongoing updates, visit www.epa.gov/water- infrastructure/water-technical-assistance. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Water TA Initiatives EPA is piloting three targeted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law water technical assistance initiatives - in collaboration with states, territories, tribes, and community partners. BILTA Initiatives Focus H20 Community Solutions Teams Support communities to assess water infrastructure needs and make progress in accessing federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap In partnership with USDA Rural Development, assists 11 underserved areas with significant decentralized wastewater needs (or no wastewater infrastructure at all) to make progress in accessing Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators Partner with Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to accelerate lead service line replacement and support access to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding across approximately 40 communities in 2023. Ongoing Water TA Programs Existing EPA water TA programs are available for utilities, municipalities, and tribes to receive direct water technical assistance to maintain regulatory compliance, improve resiliency, and build utility technical, managerial, and financial capacity (TMF). The following table provides various EPA water TA ------- programs and resources for utilities and tribes. For more details on programs and resources and to request assistance, go to: www.epa.gov/water-infrastructure/water-technical-assistance. Water TA Program Focus Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs) EFCs provide TA services to support communities to develop water infrastructure needs, develop funding applications, and address other capacity needs. 16 new regional BIL EFCs and 4 new national BIL EFCs will support access to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law resources and facilitate effective national implementation. Training and Technical Assistance for Small Systems Assist small drinking water utilities with Safe Drinking Water Act compliance, support improved water quality efforts for small and decentralized wastewater systems, and support private drinking water well owners to improve water quality. Rural. Small, and Tribal (RST) TA for Wastewater Systems Support rural, small municipalities, and tribal governments to access finance/funding and support rural, small, and tribal centralized and decentralized wastewater systems to build capacity to protect water quality and comply with the Clean Water Act. Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) Provide training and resources to support water utilities as they pursue climate adaptation and resiliency strategies. Area-Wide Optimization Program (AWOP) Provides tools and approaches for drinking water systems to meet water quality optimization goals and provide an increased - and sustainable - level of public health protection to their consumers. Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center Provides financing information (e.g., a Clearinghouse of funding opportunities, SRF 101 and other learning modules, and webinars) to help utilities make decisions for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. Cvbersecuritv Offers online and in-person courses on water sector cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, consequences, best practices, resources, and program development. Additionally, EPA offers free, confidential assessments and cybersecurity TA to interested drinking water and wastewater utilities. Drinking Water Rule Implementation and Compliance Assistance Provides on-site and webinar-based training that includes rule overviews and/or specific technical requirements to states and water system operators. EPA also conducts virtual sanitary survey training for states. Water Resilience Conducts training and exercises (both direct and classroom/ webinar based) related to the disaster resilience of water and wastewater utilities against natural disasters. Drinking Water Capacity Development Provides tools and resources to help water systems build their TMF capacity, maintain certified operators, and establish partnerships. Utilitv Workforce Development Webinars, case studies, and grant program to support innovative workforce development practices at water and wastewater utilities. Additional TA Programs In addition to EPA Office of Water technical assistance, multiple TA programs are available from other ------- EPA offices and federal agencies. These include programs from EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR). Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM). Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations (OCIR). and Office of Research and Development (ORD). For example, EPA's Thriving Communities Program under OEJECR helps nonprofits and other organizations in underserved communities build community capacity to access federal resources for water infrastructure and other needs. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) also offer robust TA programs. Many states provide TA programs for water utilities through SRF set-aside funding. For more information on these and other TA programs and resources, visit www.epa.gov/water-infrastructure/water-technical-assistance or contact WaterTA@epa.gov ------- |