With Billions in Water Funding Available, Small Communities Risk Being Left out to Dry

Highlights the challenges at water treatment plants in rural communities. Aging infrastructure and understaffing put the water supply at risk at small plants. More than 90% of community water systems in the U.S. are defined as "small" by the Environmental Protection Agency. Access to funding is harder for small plants that lack the resources and staffing to apply for funds. Notes the public health implications of a compromised water supply as seen recently in Flint, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi. Raising water prices could alleviate some of the challenges, but is not feasible in many rural places due to poverty, specifically noting regions such as the Mississippi Delta and Appalachia.
Source: News stories via the Rural Assistance Center - Category: Rural Health Source Type: news