A West Virginia University environmental program has won a $3 million, 18-month award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help very small communities learn how to protect their sources of drinking water.
The National Environmental Services Center (NESC) at WVU and its collaborator, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), will train and assist small drinking water system personnel and state and community officials across the country through the SMART About Water program.
SMART stands for Strategic Management and Available Resources and Technology. The program focuses on how to develop source water protection plans, an initiative of the EPA .
According to EPA reports, the leading polluter of small drinking water systems is untreated wastewater from failing septic tanks and small sewer systems.
Source water protection involves a wide array of technologies, resources and management options that for very small communities span from wastewater treatment to drinking water delivery,said Richard Bajura, program leader and director of the WVU National Research Center for Coal and Energy, where NESC is housed.
How people choose to fund and manage their water infrastructure is as a big a factor as the technology they use,Bajura said.
Plans will include ways that community leaders and homeowners can make sure wastewater systems are properly installed, maintained and working over the long term.
Septic systems and other small wastewater systems can in fact be the best choice for wastewater treatment in small communities if theyre properly maintained,Bajura said.
SMART About Water builds on the 30-year history of NESC s National Small Flows Clearinghouse, National Drinking Water Clearinghouse, and National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities, whose technical experts provide the latest information about small community water and wastewater systems.
The Rural Community Assistance Partnership offers assistance to small communities through its nearly 200 specialists in all 50 states.
We think that NESC s university-based expertise, coupled with RCAP s on-the-ground network, is an exciting partnership that will deliver results,Bajura said.
To learn more about NESC , call 800-624-8301 or visithttp://www.NESC.wvu.edu.