The Daily Yonder blog reported Jan. 8 that "the percentage of people living in poverty increased from 15.8 percent of those living in rural counties in 2007, before the recession began, to 18.3 percent in 2011."

To help tribes and Alaska Native Villages manage their drinking water and wastewater systems, EPA is releasing a series of 10 online training modules covering an array of operation, maintenance, and system management issues at smaller drinking water and wastewater facilities. Training topics include information on managing and maintaining drinking water, sewer, lagoon, and decentralized infrastructure as well as information on sustainably managing water systems, including asset management and techniques for developing rate structures.