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Costs to provide clean drinking water and proper wastewater
treatment increase every year. Although these costs impact
all low-income households in Wisconsin, those who live in
rural areas pay a larger portion of their incomes for these
services. Low income households in urban areas of Wisconsin
pay approximately 1% of their incomes for wastewater
and less than 1% for water services. Rural
households pay 1 – 1.5% of their incomes for water
and 1.5 – 2% for wastewater services. Rural
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With assistance from RCAP staff the City of Hurley received
a $2.5 million dollar grant from the Wisconsin Department of
Commerce to
revitalize their downtown area.
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households pay more because there are fewer users to help
pay for these services. Fewer users and higher costs means
that many rural systems are not upgraded when needed and may
have trouble meeting the Safe Drinking Water Act and/or the
Clean Water Act requirements
The Rural
Community Assistance Program (RCAP) is administered by the
Wisconsin Community Action Program Association (WISCAP) to
help rural communities develop and improve water and
wastewater infrastructure. RCAP also helps communities
develop capacity to manage, operate, and maintain the water
and wastewater utilities.
The
Wisconsin RCAP provides comprehensive services and
technical assistance, without cost, from problem-identification through
implementation of acceptable, affordable solutions. RCAP
services enable community staff to develop capacity to
implement water and wastewater projects and assists the
community in coordinating efforts with consultants and
government agencies.
We Work with
Wisconsin Rural Communities that:
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Have low to
moderate-incomes.
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Have populations
less than 10,000.
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Are rural villages,
towns, sanitary districts, or tribal communities.
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Have drinking
water and/or sanitary waste disposal problems
or system
development needs.
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Since 1992, WISCAP’s Rural Community Assistance
Program has provided training and on-site technical
assistance to small, low or moderate income, rural
communities on matters and issues related to water
and wastewater systems development. Over 60 towns,
villages and sanitary districts have been served to
date.
WISCAP's Tribal Circuit Rider Program provides
assistance to all 11 Wisconsin Tribes. The
Watershed Initiative works with the Bad River
and Red Cliff tribes, the Northwest CSA, and the Bad
River Watershed Association to improve water quality
in the 1,092 square mile Bad River watershed area.
During 2007-2008, RCAP staff provided assistance to
23communities implementing 28 water/wastewater system
projects.
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Other RCAP
Links:
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For More
Information Contact:
Bill Brown
RCAP Director
(608) 244-0407
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