As local communities grapple with clean water scarcity nationwide, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the Real Water Technical Assistance (RealWaterTA) initiative to address underperforming or nonexistent safe drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services.
RealWaterTA will prioritize eight goals to reinforce water accessibility and treatment in communities, especially those in rural areas where small systems are frequently challenged to operate and maintain critical water infrastructure. These goals include:
- Support returning to and maintaining compliance.
- Focus on traditional and innovative water infrastructure.
- Define the scope of technical assistance.
- Strengthen technical, managerial, and financial management.
- Empower the water workforce.
- Improve financial readiness and access to financial assistance.
- Reduce inefficient costs.
- Drive real-world results.
The memorandum issued alongside the announcement rescinds a March 2023 memo that utilized excessively broad parameters for how funding could be used for water projects. The 2026 RealWaterTA refocuses funding, resources and implementation of technical assistance to align with the core mission to protect public health and ensure accountability through measurable outcomes.
The initiative takes a back-to-basics approach to advancing water projects, emphasizing proven, best-practice technical assistance methods to achieve results. The agency will align these methods with reliable services – including engineering and design expertise, operational support, workforce development and financial management – to directly support water systems and support public health.
Compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and Clean Water Act (CWA) is a cornerstone of the memo’s implementation efforts. To ensure all money is distributed impartially and fairly, RealWaterTA will improve access by water systems to available funding program, including the State Revolving Fund programs, Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program, EPA water grants and infrastructure funding from other departments.
Photo by Tom Fisk from Pexels
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