Communities unlimited (CU), great lakes community action partnership (glcap), midwest assistance program (map), rcap solutions (rsol), rural community assistance corporation (rcac), and the…

Award Details: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water awarded $3,795,000 in funding under the Surveys, Studies, Investigations, Demonstrations, and Training Grants and Cooperative Agreements program (CFDA 66.436) to Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated (RCAP), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. This two-year project grant supports comprehensive training and technical assistance (TA) for private drinking water well owners and stakeholder groups across all 50 states and territories.

Products and Services: The project delivers a multi-faceted suite of services coordinated through RCAP and lead partner University of Illinois, with sub-awardees including Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Great Lakes Community Action Partnership, Communities Unlimited, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, RCAP Solutions, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, National Environmental Health Association, and National Ground Water Association. Core deliverables include face-to-face and online workshops for private well owners and professionals; an 11-lesson self-paced e-learning course targeting an additional 1,000 participants; private well assessments and water testing services (including PFAS testing where warranted); regionally tailored webinars addressing emergency response and emerging contaminant threats (PFAS, lead, road salt); educational resources disseminated through multiple channels; national helpline support with email, chat, and phone assistance; an expanded and updated PrivateWellClass.org website; a national private well conference; and creation of a national expert working group. Specific regional deliverables include multiple in-person and online workshops targeting minimum participation benchmarks, well assessments in at least five states per region, tribal-focused training initiatives, and targeted outreach to underserved communities.

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:the project will be accomplished through a comprehensive 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 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 help center/hotline accompanied by email, social media, and chat assistance, with 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 protectiing public health.outcomes:through these efforts, rcap and its partners will achieve impactful 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 or 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 health and environmental conditions for well owners, their families, and rural communities. Deliverables include well assessments, trainings, workshops, webinars, national help center/hotline, private well classes and e-learning, and conferences. Beneficiaries are owners and managers of private drinking water wells and the stakeholder groups that serve well owners and/or are charged with protecting public health.