The award's purpose is to improve small water system compliance by providing training and technical assistance to rural, small, and tribal systems

The University of New Mexico (UNM) received a $5,564,445 Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Surveys, Studies, Investigations, Demonstrations, and Training Grants - Section 1442 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (CFDA 66.424) program. The award's purpose is to improve small water system compliance by providing training and technical assistance to rural, small, and tribal systems across all 50 states, territories, and tribal entities. Key activities include delivering in-person, virtual, and peer-to-peer training events; providing direct technical assistance ranging from light-touch support to in-depth, on-site help; and creating educational resources such as podcasts, videos, and websites. The expected outcomes include increased compliance, resiliency, and financial sustainability for small, disadvantaged water systems, as well as greater institutional knowledge retention and access to infrastructure funding.

The grant has several sub-awardees that will support these objectives. The University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center will enhance the training and technical assistance offerings. The University of Tennessee, Michigan Technological University, Wichita State University, Morgan State University, and the University of Maine System will deliver specialized training, webinars, and direct on-site assistance to small water systems on topics like asset management, hydraulic modeling, financial management, and resiliency planning. The nonprofit organizations Moonshot Missions and Earth Island Institute will also contribute to the initiative's goals through project planning, needs assessments, and engineering advisory services.

The applicant will provide training and technical assistance in all fifty states as well as tribal entities, and territories to help communities and small water systems achieve their technical, managerial, and financial goals.activities:the grantee will mitigate barriers for systems in small, disadvantaged communities with a comprehensive initiative to improve TMF capacity through training and technical assistance (TA) blending traditional and innovative approaches for improving TMF capacity. These include training events (in-person, virtual, and peer-to-peer) for states, territories, and tribes; direct TA efforts; in-depth, peer-to-peer technical assistance; podcasts; educational videos; blogs; system websites; and resource and tool creation. The awardee will provide in-person and virtual technical assistance to small water systems ranging from light touch (e.g., answering questions, providing resources, helping systems join their state warn etc.) to very in-depth, on-site assistance (e.g., lead service line inventory and replacement plan, conducting a water audit, creating an asset management plan). The outputs and outcomes are targeted at increased compliance, increased resiliency, lower lifecycle operating costs, greater retention of institutional knowledge, and increased success in accessing infrastructure funding for systems in small, disadvantaged communities.subrecipient:the subawardees will mitigate barriers for systems in small, disadvantaged communities with a comprehensive initiative to improve technical, managerial, and financial (TMF) capacity through training and technical assistance, blending traditional and innovative approaches for improving TMF capacity. These include training events (in-person, virtual, and peer-to-peer) for states, territories, and tribes; direct technical assistance efforts; in-depth, peer-to-peer technical assistance; podcasts; educational videos; blogs; system websites; and resource and tool creation. Outcomes:UNM EFC will present trainings and provide technical assistance on topics relevant to the safe drinking water act and technical, managerial, and financial capacity. Outcomes include: increased number of systems: 1. Working towards achieving compliance with sdwa 2. Improving financial management after participating in an assessment or rate study 3. Collaborating with other water systems (e.g. sharing resources, joining their state warn) 4. Implementing asset management activities including data collection, condition assessment, goal setting, risk analysis, and life cycle costing 5. Developing oandm, emergency response, or succession plans 6. Participating in a water loss or energy audit, or source water protection activities 7. Integrating climate change, hazards, cyber risks, and resilience into their business and operations practices; implementing mitigation measures 8. With websites, maps, hydraulic models, lead service line inventories increased knowledge of and/or competency in: 9. Rate equity, affordability, financial sustainability, funding sources and applications 10. Regulatory requirements, system operations, cybersecurity and resiliency planning 11. Leadership, stakeholder communication, workforce development and succession planning 12. Water conservation, water loss, source water protection and green infrastructure the intended beneficiaries are operators and managers.