Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) — Water TA Network

National network of 400+ technical assistance providers offering no-cost on-site help to small and rural water/wastewater systems on compliance, operations, financial sustainability, governance, and capital planning.

The Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) is a national nonprofit that delivers no-cost, hands-on technical assistance to small rural and tribal water and wastewater systems through a network of more than 400 field-based Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs). The Pennsylvania-serving regional partner is RCAP Solutions for the Northeast.Services are exceptionally broad: regulatory compliance support (Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act, lead and copper, PFAS), operator training and on-site coaching, system feasibility studies, asset management plans, rate studies, capital improvement planning, board and management governance, emergency preparedness, source water protection planning, and pre-development assistance for grant and loan applications. Assistance is delivered on-site or remotely depending on need, typically in multi-visit engagements over weeks or months.RCAP is funded through USDA Rural Development, EPA, and HHS, which means there is essentially no out-of-pocket cost for qualifying small systems. For watershed groups that work with municipal authorities or small community water systems, knowing how to make a referral to the regional RCAP TAP is one of the highest-value introductions you can offer.