Small Community Technical Assistance
Free Help for Small Communities on Septic and Onsite Systems
If your community relies on septic tanks, cluster systems or other onsite wastewater systems, you don't have to figure it out alone. NOWRA and our State Affiliate partners offer free technical assistance and training to small rural communities across the country, funded by USDA Rural Development.
We'll help you understand the systems you have, deal with problems you're facing now, and plan for the future. The program runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What we offer
Everything is free to eligible communities. There are no fees, no matching funds and no obligation.
- Fast help when something goes wrong. Failing system, backup, or a compliance notice from the state? A local expert can come out quickly to troubleshoot, explain your options and help you fix the problem.
- On-site help from a local expert. A wastewater professional from your state visits to look at the systems you have and talk through the problems you're seeing.
- A practical plan. You'll get a written set of next steps that fits your community's size, budget and local rules.
- Help finding funding. We'll point you to grant and loan programs that can pay for repairs, upgrades or new systems, and help you get ready to apply.
- Training for local leaders and operators. Workshops and webinars on system care, regulations, management options and planning.
- Community meetings. We can help explain options to residents and local officials so decisions get made with good information.
Who's eligible
The program serves rural communities with fewer than 2,500 residents. That includes:
- Small towns, villages and townships
- Unincorporated communities
- Tribal communities
- Sanitary or utility districts, water and sewer associations, and other nonprofit or public groups serving a small community
Not sure if you qualify? Reach out anyway. We'll check for you.
How to get help
- Tell us about your community. Fill out our short form or email. Include your community's name, state and a sentence or two about what's going on.
- We'll connect you with a local expert. A wastewater professional from our State Affiliate in your area will follow up to learn more.
- Get to work together. Your expert will set up a visit or call and help you take the next steps.
Webinars and training
We're hosting 24 free two-hour webinars through September 2027 for local officials, system operators, community leaders and anyone else who deals with onsite wastewater in a small community. Recordings are posted after each session.
- Unsewered Sanitation in Rural America: USDA-TAT Program Overview & Eligibility; Hiring & Managing Engineering Consultants
- Thursday, 11/5/2026 1:00pm - 3:00pm CST
- Register
- Sustainable Utility Management: Core Tenets of the "Workshop in a Box"
- Monday, 11/23/2026 12:00pm-2:00pm CST
- Register
- Wastewater Characterization & Contaminant Fundamentals
- Thursday, 12/03/2026 1:00pm-3:00pm CST
- Register
- Initial Community Engagement; Building Local Consensus; Conducting the Property-by-Property Assessment (CWSA)
- Tuesday, 12/15/2026 1:00pm-3:00pm CST
- Register
- View all Webinars: This will allow you to see the dates and topics of each webinar, decide which sessions you would like to register for, and give you access to the PowerPoint files and recordings following the completion of a webinar.
News
This material is based upon work supported under a grant by the Rural Utilities Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Rural Utilities Service.
National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer.