The rural community assistance partnership, INC. (rcap), and its strategic partners, the university of illinois, water environment federation, national onsite wastewater recycling association,…

The Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Inc. (RCAP) was awarded a $4 million Project Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water under the Technical Assistance for Treatment Works program (CFDA #66.446). RCAP and its strategic partners—which include sub-awardees the University of Illinois, Water Environment Federation, National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, and National Association of Clean Water Agencies—will provide training and technical assistance to small publicly owned treatment works, onsite/decentralized wastewater systems, and their communities.

Activities will include in-person and remote training utilizing adult education techniques to improve knowledge retention. The goal is to increase the number of wastewater systems achieving and maintaining regulatory compliance, as well as adopting long-term financial and managerial capacity practices. Sub-awardees will use their portions of the $4M in funding for typical costs associated with technical assistance, training, and information dissemination. The award period runs from March 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023.

The rural community assistance partnership, INC. (rcap), and its strategic partners, the university of illinois, water environment federation, national onsite wastewater recycling association, inter-tribal council of arizona, and national association of clean water agencies, will provide small publicly owned treatment works, onsite/decentralized wastewater systems, and the communities they serve, training and technical assistance to improve compliance and financial sustainability, improving public health and the environment. Activities: rcap will provide in-person and remote training and technical assistance to owners, operators, and managers working with the above wastewater systems. Training will utilize participant based adult education techniques designed to improve knowledge retention. Outcomes: rcap's capacity-building will result in an increased number of publicly owned treatment works and onsite/decentralized wastewater systems that are in or moving towards regulatory compliance. Results will also include an increased number of wastewater systems that have adopted long-term managerial and financial capacity practices. Subrecipient: the sub-awardees will each use their funding for typical costs associated with technical assistance, training and information dissemination.