The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a national
partnership to protect Americans’ health by improving rural drinking water and
wastewater systems. Nationwide, small water and sewage treatment facilities
with limited funding and resources face challenges due to rising costs and
aging equipment and pipes. The agreement will send federal resources to
support communities that need assistance and promote job training to help put
people to work, while addressing the growing workforce shortage in the water
industry.

“EPA and USDA have joined forces to
leverage our expertise and resources to improve drinking water and wastewater
systems in small towns across the country,” says Nancy Stoner, acting assistant
administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “A critical part of this agreement is
to ensure that we have a well trained, professional workforce available to
replace workers when they leave or retire.”

“The
agreement we are announcing today represents an exciting partnership between
USDA and EPA that will greatly enhance our investments in water systems and
also in developing a skilled workforce to oversee them,” says Jonathan
Adelstein, administrator for USDA’s Rural Utilities Service. “By working
together, our agencies will strengthen their capacity to provide rural
residents with safe, clean, well-managed water and wastewater systems for years
to come.”

Under
the agreement, EPA and USDA will work together to promote jobs by targeting specific
audiences, providing training for new water careers and coordinating outreach
efforts that will bring greater public visibility to the workforce needs of the
industry, and develop a new generation of trained water professionals. EPA and
USDA will also facilitate the exchange of successful recruitment and training
strategies among stakeholders including states and water industries.

The
agencies will also help rural utilities improve current operations and
encourage development of long-term water quality improvement plans. The plans
will include developing sustainable management practices to cut costs and
improve performance.

Since
taking office, President Obama’s administration has taken significant steps to
improve the lives of rural Americans. For instance, the administration has set
goals to modernize infrastructure by providing broadband access to 10 million
Americans, expanding educational opportunities for students in rural areas and
providing affordable health care. In the long term, these unparalleled rural
investments will help ensure that America’s rural communities are
thriving economically.

In
June 2011, President Obama signed an executive order establishing the first
White House Rural Council, chaired by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary,
Tom Vilsack. The White House Rural Council will work throughout government to
create policies that will help realize the administration’s goals for rural
communities. Today’s agreement is part of that initiative.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov