The purpose of the rural utility business advisor (ruba) program grant is to assist rural alaska communities in building and maintaining management and financial capacity needed to successfully run…

The Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development received a $3.56 million cooperative agreement from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 under the Congressionally Mandated Projects program (CFDA 66.202), effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2027. The award funds the Rural Utility Business Advisor (RUBA) Program, which provides comprehensive training and technical assistance to rural Alaskan communities to build and sustain management and financial capacity for water and sanitation utilities. No sub-awards are included in this assistance agreement.

The RUBA Program delivers multiple products and services to rural utility operators and communities, including on-site, over-the-shoulder job training in utility management; classroom workshops focused on critical financial management skills such as budget development and revenue collection; one-on-one and classroom instruction on QuickBooks accounting software used statewide for rural utility accounting; and facilitation of regional workshops and classroom instruction to prepare operators for state utility management certification. These activities are designed to protect human health and the environment by ensuring compliant operation of water and wastewater systems, preventing untreated wastewater discharge to surface waters, and promoting safe drinking water delivery to residents in rural Alaskan communities.

The purpose of the rural utility business advisor (ruba) program grant is to assist rural alaska communities in building and maintaining management and financial capacity needed to successfully run a water or sanitation utility in order to protect human health and the environment and promote compliance with the safe drinking water act and the clean water act.activities:the ruba training and technical assistance activities and deliverables to rural operators and communities includes a) on site over the shoulder job training in proper utility management for rural utility systems; b) class room training workshops on critical skills such as budget development, revenue collecting and expenses; c) one on one training and class room training on the software used statewide for accounting for rural utilities called quick books; d) facilitating regional workshops for utility managers and providing classroom instruction to prepare operators for state utility management certification. The recipient's efforts will protect the environment from the discharge of untreated wastewater to ambient waters (rivers, lakes, stream and oceans), in addition, these outcomes further the delivery of safe drinking water to the public by ensuring these systems are managed and operated correctly.subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables are to provide overall technical assistance to communities facing critical times in keeping the local government and public services functioning. The expected outcomes are increased managerial and financial capacity of rural water and wastewater utilities to reduce threats to human health and improved protection to the environment from untreated wastewater to ambient waters (rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans). The intended beneficiaries are the residents in the rural alaskan communities.