Technical Assistance and Environmental Review Support to Help Communities Access Water Infrastructure Programs

Communities across the country face enormous challenges in providing safe drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services to their residents. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided an unprecedented infusion of capital to protect human health and the environment by improving water and wastewater infrastructure. However, many communities lack the resources to access this funding.

ERG has been helping the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency develop and deploy technical assistance programs to help communities, particularly underserved communities, leverage federal infrastructure programs to address water and wastewater infrastructure needs. We are working with EPA to develop a free technical assistance program that connects communities and provides them with resources to help them identify water and wastewater challenges; develop plans; build technical, financial, and managerial capacity; and identify and access water infrastructure funding. This assistance includes environmental review support to facilitate compliance with applicable requirements, including the National Environmental Policy Act; state-level environmental reviews for State Revolving Fund programs; and federal environmental cross-cutting authorities such as the Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act. Examples of ERG’s environmental review support include developing environmental information documents for wastewater infrastructure upgrades on tribal lands.