84035701

Description:
The 'Integrated Technical, Managerial, and Financial Training and Technical Assistance for Small and Decentralized Wastewater Entities' grant program will support the University of New Mexico Southwest Environmental Finance Center (SW EFC). The objective of the proposal is to improve small, rural, and disadvantaged wastewater system compliance, thus protecting human and environmental health, by integrating technical, managerial, and financial training and technical assistance to assist onsite and decentralized owners/operators with improving their operation, management, and finance.

Activities:
The Environmental Finance Center Network team will build the internal capacity of small, rural, and disadvantaged wastewater utilities and onsite/decentralized systems using a variety of delivery methods to provide access for all types of wastewater system personnel, including those with limited access to technology and limited understanding of the operation and maintenance of wastewater technology.

Subrecipient:
The University of New Mexico Southwest Environmental Finance Center will serve as the lead organization on behalf of the Environmental Finance Center Network team, which includes Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center; University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center; University of North Carolina Environmental Finance Center; Michigan Technological University Environmental Finance Center; Wichita State University Environmental Finance Center; Environmental Finance Center West; Mississippi State University Extension Service; Moonshot Missions; Carollo Engineers, Inc. and Waiwai Ola Waterkeepers Hawaiian Islands (or similar entities to the Carollo/Waterkeepers team after competition for this portion of work).

After initial outreach activities, the Environmental Finance Center Network team will create a national plan that describes the requests for each state, territory, and tribes in terms of training and technical assistance. Proposed subaward outputs include training events for states/territories/tribes, technical assistance efforts for small publicly owned treatment works and decentralized wastewater treatment facilities, podcasts, educational videos, peer-to-peer advisory sessions, blogs, and resource creation and distribution. The Environmental Finance Center Network team will assign the appropriate personnel from the member organizations on the team to address the state, tribal, or system needs. Personnel will be assigned based first on their skills and capabilities, and secondarily on geography or other factors. The Environmental Finance Center West and Syracuse Environmental Finance Center will work with decentralized communities in Puerto Rico to host two community wastewater needs assessment workshops and identify low-cost opportunities to help rural communities improve their wastewater procedures.

Outcomes:
Proposed outputs and deliverables include training events for states/territories/tribes, technical assistance efforts for small publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) and decentralized wastewater treatment facilities, podcasts, educational videos, peer-to-peer advisory sessions, blogs, and resource creation and distribution. Expected outcomes include increased compliance and greater system technical, managerial, and financial capacity. Direct beneficiaries of this program include rural, small, and tribal publicly owned treatment works and decentralized wastewater treatment systems.

University Of New Mexico

66.446 - Technical Assistance for Treatment Works (Clean Water Act [CWA] Section 104(b)(8))

Office of Grants and Debarment (OGD) [EPA - HQ]

Office of Water (OW) [EPA - HQ]

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-0001 United States

Single Zip Code

None

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 11/30/23 to 11/30/24.