Water Technical Assistance Programs

This page summarizes several EPA WaterTA initiatives and resources available to local municipalities, Tribes, and communities. For more detailed descriptions of the skills and services offered by EPA WaterTA providers, check out our EPA WaterTA: A Summary of Providers, Programs, and Initiatives (pdf) (1.14 MB, October 2024, EPA 830-F-24-006)  document. To learn more about EPA WaterTA in general, including how to access assistance or sign up for ongoing updates, visit www.epa.gov/WaterTA.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law WaterTA Initiatives

To support implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the EPA is investing in and expanding technical assistance efforts. These initiatives have been launched in collaboration with states, territories, Tribes, and community partners.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law WaterTA Initiatives	Focus
H2O Community Solutions Teams (Pilot Initiative)	Supported 29 communities to assess water infrastructure needs and make progress in accessing federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.
Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap (Pilot Initiative)	In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development program, assisted 11 underserved areas with significant decentralized wastewater needs (or no wastewater infrastructure at all) to make progress in accessing Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.
Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap	Expand the services provided in the Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap pilot initiative to provide technical assistance to approximately 150 underserved and disadvantaged communities with decentralized wastewater needs (or no wastewater infrastructure at all).
Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators (Pilot Initiative)	Partner with Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to accelerate lead service line replacements and support access to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding across 40 communities through 2024.
Get the Lead Out (GLO) Initiative	Expand the services provided in the Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators pilot initiative to provide lead service line replacement technical assistance to approximately 200 underserved and disadvantaged communities.
Engineering Support	Provide communities with the engineering expertise needed to apply for EPA funding for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects.
Tackling Emerging Contaminants (TEC)	Provide technical assistance to drinking water systems serving small or disadvantaged communities to assess and address drinking water contamination from emerging contaminants and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Ongoing WaterTA Initiatives

Existing EPA WaterTA initiatives are available for utilities, municipalities, and Tribes to receive direct WaterTA to maintain regulatory compliance, improve resiliency, and build utility technical, managerial, and financial capacity. The following table provides various EPA WaterTA initiatives and resources for utilities and Tribes. For more details on initiatives and resources and to request assistance, go to www.epa.gov/WaterTA.

WaterTA Initiatives	Focus
Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs)	EFCs provide technical assistance services to support communities to develop water infrastructure needs, develop funding applications, and address other capacity needs. The 17 Water Infrastructure EFCs support access to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law resources and facilitate effective national implementation.
Training and Technical Assistance for Small Systems	Assist small drinking water utilities with Safe Drinking Water Act compliance, support improved water quality efforts for small and decentralized wastewater systems, and support private drinking water well owners to improve water quality.
Rural, Small, and Tribal (RST) Technical Assistance for Wastewater Systems	Support rural, small municipalities, and Tribal governments to access finance/funding and support rural, small, and Tribal centralized and decentralized wastewater systems to build capacity to protect water quality and comply with the Clean Water Act.
Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU)	Provide training and resources to support water utilities as they pursue climate adaptation and resiliency strategies.
Area-Wide Optimization Program (AWOP)	Provide optimization-based tools and approaches that can support compliance assistance where needed and help all drinking water systems improve water quality.
Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center	Provide financing information (e.g., a Clearinghouse of funding opportunities, State Revolving Fund 101 and other learning modules, and webinars) to help utilities make decisions for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure.
Cybersecurity	Offer online and in-person courses on water sector cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, consequences, best practices, resources, and program development. Additionally, the EPA offers free, confidential assessments and cybersecurity technical assistance to interested drinking water and wastewater utilities.
Drinking Water Rule Implementation and Compliance Assistance	Provide on-site and webinar-based training that includes rule overviews and/or specific technical requirements to states and water system operators. The EPA also conducts virtual sanitary survey training for states.
Water Resilience	Conduct trainings and exercises (both direct and classroom/webinar based) related to the disaster resilience of water and wastewater utilities against natural disasters.
Drinking Water Capacity Development	Provide tools and resources to help water systems build their technical, managerial, and financial capacity, maintain certified operators, and establish partnerships.
Utility Workforce Development	Webinars, case studies, and grant programs to support innovative workforce development practices at water and wastewater utilities.

Additional Technical Assistance Initiatives

In addition to the technical assistance provided by the EPA's Office of Water, multiple technical assistance initiatives are available from other EPA offices and federal agencies. These include initiatives from the EPA’s:

• Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) — For example, the EPA’s Thriving Communities Program under OEJECR helps nonprofits and other organizations in underserved communities build community capacity to access federal resources for water infrastructure and other needs.
• Office of Compliance (OC) — The Compliance Advisor program provides technical assistance to small drinking water and wastewater systems with compliance problems.
• Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM)
• Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations (OCIR)
• Office of Research and Development (ORD)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) also offer robust technical assistance initiatives.

Many states provide technical assistance services for water utilities through State Revolving Fund set-aside funding.