Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program

The DWS Grant Program has been established to help individuals with low to moderate incomes finance certain costs of household water wells and individually owned decentralized wastewater systems that they own or will own. Grants are made to eligible nonprofit organizations to establish and maintain a revolving fund to provide loans and sub-grants to eligible individuals for individually owned water well systems and/or individually owned wastewater systems. Loan and/or sub-grant funds may be used by the individual to construct, refurbish, rehabilitate, or replace decentralized water well or wastewater systems. For water well systems, funds may be used up to the point of entry to a home, which is the junction where water enters into a home water delivery system after being pumped from a well. For wastewater systems, in lieu of the point of entry, the point of exit is substituted. The point of exit is the junction where wastewater exits out of the home wastewater collection system into the septic tank and drain field. DWS grant funds may be used by the nonprofit recipient to pay administrative expenses associated with providing DWS loans and/or sub-grants.

Information on eligibility is available at this website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/rural-decentralized-water-systems-grant-program

RUS assistance for grant projects will be directed toward truly rural areas and rural communities. Considerations for available funds emphasize such criteria as population, low income, unemployment; health and sanitary problems. RUS financed facilities will not be inconsistent with any development plans of the State, multi-jurisdictional area, county, or municipality in which the proposed project is located.

Applicants must provide funds from sources other than the HWWS grant. The required match must be at least 10 percent of the HWWS grant.

Fiscal year 2025: Funding used to establish a revolving loan fund to provide low interest loans to homeowners that will be used to repair or replace failing private water wells or wastewater systems. Project used funding to increase potable water availability and safe wastewater systems to low-income households in eligible high-need rural counties across America.