| ARRA funds extend reach of RCAP's regular Technitrain program |
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In spring 2010, RCAP received a $5 million grant of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development [1], the same agency that has provided RCAP with an annual grant for its ongoing Technitrain program that offers technical assistance and training to small, rural communities nationwide. The Technitrain ARRA program was an 18-month-long initiative that started on May 1, 2010, and that used the economic stimulus funds to provide additional help to water and wastewater systems in rural communities through on-site technical assistance and training and publications. Rural Development and the Recovery Act: Working For Rural Communities [2] A report on how the agency's distribution of loan and grant funds provided to the agency through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) has helped the nation's rural residents The link above to the report takes you to a large PDF document. |
Funded by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program [3] at a level of $7 million annually, the “Technitrain” program helps to protect public health and foster economic development in targeted rural communities throughout the United States and its territories by providing onsite, community-specific technical assistance and training that:
- identifies and evaluates solutions to water and waste disposal problems
- assists communities in preparing funding applications for their water and waste projects
- improves operation and maintenance of existing water and waste-disposal facilities
- Assist 800 projects or systems, which are selected in conjunction with state USDA Rural Development offices.
- Provide 100 trainings to at least 1,500 utility board members, managers, operators, and/or clerks.
- Assist in completing 100 vulnerability assessments and 100 emergency response plans.
- 50 systems determined by USDA Rural Development to be financially unsustainable will achieve sustainability.
- 50 systems out of compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act or Clean Water Act will be brought into compliance.
- 80 systems will secure $80 million in federal (including USDA-RD), state, and other funding for new systems, system replacement, and other facilities improvements.
