WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it is expanding a program to help rural communities with serious sewer problems get technical assistance to plan improvements and apply for funding.
Eleven communities in the South and Southwest have been chosen for a pilot program in 2022, and another 150 will be able to apply for assistance, which will be provided on a rolling basis, said Radhika Fox, assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s water office. .
More than 2 million people in the U.S. lack indoor plumbing and many more live with failing sewage systems, which can cause waste to spill into homes or collect on the ground, threatening public health and violating basic dignity. the EPA said.
“For the first time ever, these communities are getting an assessment on… what the status is of their wastewater infrastructure. And then they get a community solutions plan that really clarifies… what improvements can be made in the most cost-effective way,” Fox said.
Still, “the shortage of water infrastructure is greater than the resources we have,” and the Biden administration will continue to push for more funding, she said.
One of the first communities to receive assistance was the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, where two-thirds of homes have septic systems that often fail. The tribe has received funding to pump septic tanks and develop educational materials, and is applying for funding for infrastructure improvements, Fox said.
The city of White Hall, in Lowndes County, Alabama, has developed wastewater treatment and financing options to address sewage that sometimes ends up in yards.
“We are so grateful for where we are at this particular point,” said Catherine Flowers, founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice.
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