Small Community Wastewater Facts

* More than 70 percent of the nation’s housing
units that have inadequate plumbing are found in
small communities.

* Nearly 1 million housing units in small communities
use outhouses or privies for sewage disposal.

* More than 19 million housing units in small com-
munities use septic tanks or cesspools as the
primary source of treatment.

Many small community wastewater problems can be
addressed with the assistance of EPA’s Small
Community Programs and partner organizations.

Homeowner septic tank installation

Contact Information/Hotlines for Wastewater Treatment

EPA Managed Programs

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Wastewater Management
Municipal Assistance Branch (4204)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20460

202-260-5856
www.epa.gov/owm/smalic.htm

» Alaskan Native Villages Sanitation Grant Program
www.epa.gov/owm/indian/alaskan.htm

* Clean Water Tribal Grant Program
www.epa.gov/owm/indian/cwisa.htm.

* Colonias Program
www.epa.gov/owm/mexican.htm

© Operator On-Site Technical Assistance
Training Program - 104(g)
www.epa.gov/owm/tomm.htm

* Small Communities Outreach and
Education Network (SCORE)
www.epa.gov/owm/scmore.htm

Organizations Receiving EPA Funding

West Virginia University

Environmental Services and Training Division
P.O. Box 6064

Morgantown, WV 26506
800-624-8301/304-293-4191

www.estd.wvu.edu

* National Environmental Training Center for
Small Communities (NETCSC)
www.netc.wvu.edu

* National On-Site Demonstration Project (NODP)
www.nodp.wvu.edu

* National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC)
www.nsfc.wvu.edu

Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP)
722 East Market Street, Suite 105

Leesburg, VA 20176
888-321-7227/703-771-8636

www.rcap.org



United Siates Office of Water EPA-832-R-00-002
Environmental Protection (4101) April 2000

Agency www.epa.gov/water

Wastewater Treatment Programs
Serving Small Communities



Alaskan Native Villages

Sanitation Grant Program

Residents of many Native Villages lack
adequate sanitation systems. This
program provides grants to Alaskan
Native Villages for drinking water and
wastewater facility construction,
training, and technical assistance in
facility operation.

Clean Water Tribal Grant Program
Tribal lands cover 13 percent of the
nation’s watersheds. This program
provides grants to Indian tribes,
Alaskan Native Villages, and tribes on
former reservations in Oklahoma for
planning, design, and construction of
wastewater facilities.

Colonias Program

The southwestern United States
contains more than 1,200 colonias —
Hispanic communities along the U.S.-
Mexico border. This program offers
grants for the planning, design, and
construction of wastewater and drinking
water facilities in these communities.

National Environmental Training
Center for Small Communities
(NETCSC)

The Center develops and delivers
training courses on wastewater,
drinking water, and solid waste to
environmental trainers and state and
local officials. Services feature a
toll-free technical assistance hotline, a
website, computer databases, newslet-
ters, and other outreach activities.



National On-Site Demonstration
Project (NODP)

For many small communities, the use
of onsite wastewater management
systems is a cost-effective alternative to
centralized wastewater treatment. By
providing grants and assistance, this
program helps communities plan,
design, construct, monitor, and man-
age alternative onsite systems.

National Small Flows
Clearinghouse (NSFC)

The Clearinghouse collects and
distributes information about small
wastewater treatment solutions.
Services include a toll-free technical
assistance hotline, an internet-based
discussion group, computer databases,
newsletters, and other publications.

Operator On-Site Technical
Assistance Program-104(g)
This program addresses compliance
assistance, maintenance, and perform-
ance improvement matters by providing
no-cost, over-the-shoulder, operations
and maintenance, financial, and tech-
nical assistance to small municipal
wastewater treatment plant operators.

Rural Community Assistance
Program (RCAP)

This network of nonprofit organizations
provides community-specific informa-
tion and technical assistance at no
cost. The assistance improves rural
communities’ ability to plan, design,
operate, and maintain wastewater
systems.

Small Communities Outreach and
Education Network (SCORE)
SCORE information and outreach
helps small communities build self-
sufficient wastewater facilities and
operate them so they meet clean
water standards.