EPA News: EPA awards $1M grant to Arlington, Va. group to support small drinking water systems

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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EPA awards nearly $1 million research grant to Arlington, Va. group
to support small drinking water systems

PHILADELPHIA (Sept. 20, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an award of $965,395 in research funding to the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) in Arlington, Virginia, to develop and validate approaches that states can use to obtain approval for new or alternative technologies for very small drinking water systems.

“It is important that our towns and rural communities have the tools they need to maintain their water systems and provide people with clean drinking water,” said Wayne Cascio, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science in EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “ASDWA’s research will help address challenges in maintaining water quality and availability.”

Very small drinking water systems (serving 500 or less people) often lack the financial and technical resources to identify and implement technologies and approaches to address their most pressing challenges. Potential threats to drinking water safety come from many sources, including the presence of chemical or biological contaminants. Technological innovation can help address these challenges, but it is difficult for states to review and approve new technologies in a timely manner while ensuring these treatment technologies protect public health.

ASDWA will conduct research to identify approaches to improve how states consider sources of performance data and other information to make decisions to allow innovative water technologies to be used. ASDWA will also establish effective ways for multiple states to work together to minimize state-by-state testing protocols.

More information about the grant to ASDWA is available at: https://go.usa.gov/xMKp6

Learn more about EPA’s research grants program: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants  

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