PHILADELPHIA  – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the expansion of its successful Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative to 150 communities across Rural America. The program is already serving McDowell and Raleigh Counties in West Virginia and the agency invites rural communities across the mid-Atlantic region to apply. 

Originally launched in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative partners with underserved communities across the country to provide technical assistance on accessing federal wastewater funding. This program, along with historic funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will advance President Biden’s environmental justice agenda and help thousands of Americans access the wastewater infrastructure they need to thrive.

“I’ve been on the ground in McDowell County and Raleigh County, and I’ve seen firsthand the environmental and public health impacts of untreated wastewater,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “The people in these communities deserve the protection that modern wastewater treatment can provide. This initiative is part of the more than half a billion dollars that EPA has invested in West Virginia under the Biden-Harris Administration.”

In McDowell County, the McDowell County Public Service District will continue to work with partners to identify and pursue funding for wastewater treatment alternatives for the communities of Keystone and Northfork. In Raleigh County, the Crab Orchard-MacArthur Public Service District is exploring affordable wastewater treatment options for the unincorporated communities of Rhodell and Amigo. 

An estimated two million people in the U.S. live without adequate wastewater infrastructure and safe and reliable drinking water in their homes. Many more live with wastewater infrastructure that is ineffective and puts people’s health at risk. To date, the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap initiative provided communities with no-cost technical assistance that helps identify affordable options for wastewater infrastructure. For example, technical assistance providers help the community conduct assessments of the community’s specific needs and submit applications for wastewater funding.

Interested communities can request assistance by completing the WaterTA request form. Communities will be selected on a rolling basis and there is no deadline to apply. For questions, email SepticHelp@epa.gov.

Learn more about EPA’s WaterTA services and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s historic $50 billion investment in America.