The rural community assistance partnership, INC. (RCAP), in collaboration with its six regional partners, communities unlimited (CU), great lakes community action partnership (GLCAP), midwest…

The Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Inc. (RCAP) was awarded a $3,795,000 project grant from the Environmental Protection Agency's "Surveys, Studies, Investigations, Demonstrations, and Training Grants and Cooperative Agreements - Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act" program (CFDA 66.436). Through this 24-month grant, RCAP and its six regional partners will provide training and technical assistance to owners and managers of private drinking water wells, as well as stakeholder groups that serve private well owners or are responsible for protecting public health.

Key products and services to be delivered include: well assessments and water testing kits; face-to-face and online workshops for well owners, professionals, and stakeholders; tailored webinars on regional emergency response and best practices to avoid contamination; self-paced e-learning courses; a national private well hotline and communications channels; a national private well conference; and well owner/stakeholder newsletters and guides. These efforts aim to increase knowledge and skills related to proper well construction, operation, maintenance, testing, and groundwater protection - ultimately improving public and environmental health, environmental justice, and equity for rural communities with private drinking water wells.

The rural community assistance partnership, INC. (RCAP), in collaboration with its six regional partners, communities unlimited (CU), great lakes community action partnership (GLCAP), midwest assistance program (map), RCAP solutions (RSOL), rural community assistance corporation (RCAC), and the southeast rural community assistance project (SERCAP), collectively, 'RCAP,' will partner with the national environmental health association (NEHA), the national ground water association (NGWA), texas aandm university cooperative extension (TAMU), and the university of illinois (U of I) to provide training and technical assistance (TA) to owners and managers of private drinking water wells and the stakeholder groups that serve well owners and/or are charged with protecting public health. Activities:this will be accomplished through a comprehensive, diverse set of in-person TA activities, training, and outreach and remote training/support where needed. Outputs will include face-to-face and instructor-led online workshops for private well owners, environmental health and private well professionals, and private well stakeholders; private well assessments conducted and well testing kits distributed and utilized along with follow-up TA as needed so well owners can take action on identified areas of concern and/or potential contamination, including well assessments for tribes and in puerto rico (the well assessment will be available in spanish as part of the EPA NPA3 23-25 grant) including testing for PFAS when merited; tailored webinars on regionally specific emergency response and best practices to avoid contamination and/or other emerging threats to private wells such as PFAS, lead, and/or road salt; self-paced elearning courses for well owners, environmental health professionals, and other stakeholders; current and trusted information provided through a variety of communications channels including electronic and hard copy; on-demand phone assistance through an improved national hotline accompanied by email and social media chat assistance, and responses to online well owner questions; a national private well conference and an ongoing national private well expert working group; well owner/stakeholder newsletters/guides; professional presentations; and podcasts; among others. Subrecipient:the sub-awardees will use their funding for typical costs associated with TA and training, such as salaries and fringe, travel, and regular operating expenses. During the 24-month grant period, the sub-awardees will help provide training and technical assistance (TA) to owners and managers of private drinking water wells and the stakeholder groups that serve private well owners and/or are charged with protecting public healthoutcomes:through these efforts, RCAP and its partners will achieve numerous outcomes that include, but are not limited to, an increase in the knowledge of private drinking water well owners and those that serve them in topics such as proper well construction, well operation and maintenance, well testing, relevant state regulations or programs, or ground water protection; an increase in the knowledge and understanding of private drinking water well owners regarding options for connecting private wells to public water systems including accessing funding to do so as well as for other repair/treatment; an increase in knowledge and skills to protect private drinking water wells from contamination during emergencies especially in the face of increased frequency and severity of natural disasters; and an improvement in the quality and quantity of ground water that supplies private drinking water wellsmdash; all of which lead to improved public/environmental health, EJ, and equity for well owners, their families, and rural communities. Deliverables include well assessments, trainings, workshops, webinars, national well hotline, private well classes and E-learning, and conferences. Benefici