WaterTA Engineering Support
EPA's Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) Engineering Support Services can provide communities with the engineering expertise needed to apply for EPA funding for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects. EPA is offering this no-cost, supplemental WaterTA service to help communities identify needs, conduct preliminary project planning analyses, and produce the engineering documents as part of our administration of the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs).
On this page:
- WaterTA Engineering Support Services
- Who Can Access WaterTA Engineering Support?
- Request Help Today
- What to Expect
- Who Will Be Conducting the Work?
- Additional Resources
WaterTA Engineering Services
WaterTA Engineering Support sets communities on the path to apply for, access, and/or implement Drinking Water or Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) funding and associated funding for Tribes and territories. The following objectives guide WaterTA Engineering Support:
- Support WaterTA Providers. Engineering Support provides specialized engineering services needed to complete the necessary documents when applying for federal funding.
- Support Funding Applications. The Engineering Support deliverables will support applying for the Drinking Water or Clean Water SRF, U.S. territory Construction Grants programs, or Tribal water infrastructure programs - such as those funded by Drinking Water Infrastructure Grant Tribal Set-Aside (DWIG-TSA), Clean Water Indian Set-Aside (CWISA), or certain projects carried out in coordination with the Indian Health Service - helping communities most in need pursue these funding programs.
WaterTA Engineering Support services available to communities can include:
- Development of preliminary engineering documents, including Preliminary Engineering Reports, often required for funding applications
- Project needs assessments and environmental documentation
- Quick turnaround preliminary cost estimates for SRF pre-applications and applications
Additional engineering support may be available on a case-by-case basis.
Who Can Access WaterTA Engineering Support?
EPA's WaterTA Engineering Support is intended to facilitate community access to State Revolving Funds (SRFs), Drinking Water Infrastructure Grant Tribal Set-Aside (DWIG-TSA), or Clean Water Indian Set-Aside (CWISA) resources with a focus on:
- Disadvantaged communities - according to applicable state SRF disadvantaged community definition.
- Communities that have never before accessed federal funding
- Communities that are not currently receiving an equivalent kind of technical assistance
WaterTA Engineering Support is available for Tribal drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects and projects in U.S. territories.
Request Help Today
Communities or WaterTA providers supporting communities that need engineering services to pursue SRF/DWIG-TSA/CWISA funding can submit a request for support through EPA's WaterTA request form. Communities will be accepted on a rolling basis. There is no deadline to submit a request for WaterTA.
What to Expect
Engineering Support services provide no-cost engineering support for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects on the path to SRF, territory, or Tribal funding. After reviewing a request for engineering support, EPA will respond with next steps, which may include gathering more information on your request and setting up an informational call. Response times may vary depending on the volume and types of requests we receive. Because WaterTA Engineering Support is geared towards accessing SRF funding, EPA may discuss requests with the appropriate state agency in an effort to provide the best, most timely assistance.
EPA will work with selected communities to identify engineering requirements and develop a plan to provide the engineering support needed to access drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure funding. Additional TA providers may also be involved depending on the support required for each community.
Participating communities will be supported by an EPA contractor with licensed engineers in each state with expertise in water, wastewater, and stormwater projects. Examples of engineering support provided through this program for communities are listed above in the WaterTA Engineering Support Services section.
Who Will Be Conducting the Work?
The services provided under the WaterTA Engineering Support initiative will be conducted by EPA, including its contractors, and in coordination with WaterTA Providers, states, Indian Health Service, and community stakeholders. EPA has established contracts with licensed engineers who will work directly with communities to fulfill the project scope agreed upon by EPA and the community.
Additional Resources
- WaterTA Engineering Support Fact Sheet (pdf) (419.71 KB, October 18, 2024, 810-F-24-041)
What is WaterTA?
EPA's free Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) services support communities to identify drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater challenges, develop plans, build capacity, and develop application materials to access water infrastructure funding.
- Learn more at www.epa.gov/WaterTA
- Join EPA's Water Infrastructure & Resiliency Finance Center email list for WaterTA updates
- Email questions to WaterTA@epa.gov