USDA Rural Development Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants (ECWAG)

USDA Rural Development grants that help small rural communities prepare for or recover from an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water, with no federal disaster declaration required.

The Emergency Community Water Assistance Grant program helps rural communities respond when a drought, flood, earthquake, tornado, disease outbreak, chemical spill, or similar event causes a significant decline in the quantity or quality of drinking water, or when such a decline is imminent. Importantly, a federal disaster declaration is not required, which makes this one of the more accessible emergency tools for a small system facing a well failure, a main break, or a contamination event. Two funding tiers are available: water transmission line grants of up to $150,000 to construct waterline extensions, repair breaks or leaks in existing distribution lines, and perform related maintenance needed to replenish supply; and water source grants of up to $1,000,000 for new wells, reservoirs, transmission lines, treatment plants, and other sources of water up to and including the treatment plant. Applicants must show that the decline occurred within two years of the application date. Eligible areas are rural areas and towns of 10,000 or fewer people with a median household income below the state's non-metropolitan median. Applications are accepted year round from October 1 through September 30 through RD Apply or a local Rural Development state office, and applicants are strongly encouraged to speak with a state program specialist before starting an application. The program is governed by 7 CFR 1778 and Section 306A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.