| Are you a small, rural community needing help to finance a water or wastewater project?
The MAP/CRG loan fund has money available to assist with funding. To date, CRG has provided over 350 water and wastewater loans for small, rural communities, totaling more than $25 million. If you'd like more information, please click here to visit the CRG website
|
|
Jason Gorr, MAP Field Manager, and Pete Smith, MAP Technical Assistance Provider, will be presenting a short session on "Drinking Water in Your Community" at the new Red Lake Reservation's Casino Convention Room in Minnesota on Earth Day. They've been asked to discuss current Arsenic issues being revealed in the Region's water. The focus will be on reasons for the occurrences/detection, potential health issues involved, current and proposed efforts to remedy problems, and the various agencies involved and their roles.
On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012 and help Mobilize the Earth™. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection. Together we will stand united for a sustainable future and call upon individuals, organizations, and governments to do their part. For more information, visit the Earth Day Network website at http://www.earthday.org/2012.
|
RCAP Releases a New Guide for Board Members
The Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) has released a new guidebook to assist members of the board of directors or governing body of small, rural drinking water and wastewater systems.
The Big Guide for Small Systems: A Resource for Board Members is a comprehensive guide to the oversight role a board member has in governing a small utility.
This is the newest in a series of guides that RCAP has recently published (click here for an overview). Copies of all guides, including this newest one, are available in PDF format on the RCAP website, or by visiting MAP's Guides and Publications page.
|
|
|
|
| Letter from the CEO
By the time the check is presented or the water tower constructed, thousands of hours have been invested by community leaders and residents to build, upgrade or finance their water and wastewater systems. MAP staff are often behind the scenes in our nine state communities assisting those communities to reach their goal. From convening the initial meetings, engaging state and federal agencies, informing the local officials of their options or connecting 'the dots' in so many other ways, MAP's work has moved the project forward.
These efforts, however, are often difficult to count. And more difficult to credit. This is the work of conveners, networkers and subject experts. The stories within this e-SOURCE of a Nebraska regional community or the Oglala Sioux Tribe Water and Sewer Department illustrate the work conducted by MAP.
We appreciate the support of our federal funders, EPA, US Department of Health and Human Services, and USDA Rural Development, and the congressional delegation in all nine states. We continue to tell your community's and MAP's stories to each of them.
Marcie McLaughlin
MAP is governed by a nine-member board of directors representing the states we serve. We are pleased to welcome Dossie Overfield from Cody, Wyoming. Ms. Overfield is with the Northwest Rural Water District and brings years of operational and management experience to our MAP Board of Directors.
|
Nebraska Regional Water System Project Nears Completion
 | |
New Water Tower
|
Late in the Fall of 2005, MAP, Rural Development, NHHS, Natural Resource District, and the local communities started the process of planning and development of a regional water system to serve the communities of McLean, Belden, Randolph, Magnet, Coleridge, Wausa, Osmond, Laurel, and the rural areas between the communities. Harold Reynolds, MAP Field Manager, has been involved since the project's inception. The WAU-COL Regional Water System is a great example of what can happen when communities and organizations work together for the benefit of those who need assistance. To read a detailed account, click here.
|
MAP Staff to Take Part in Energy Audit
MAP staff from every region will take part in an on-site Energy Audit and in-plant training in Windsor, MO in April. This intensive, hands-on training is designed to bring regional staff to the skill level where they can provide Level 2 Energy Audits to communities in the MAP area.
What is an Energy Audit? In this process, all areas of energy usage in the water or wastewater system are analyzed and a detailed report is compiled with recommendations on energy saving measures for your community. On average, communities in many parts of the country are realizing an average of 25% in energy savings with a payback on investment of less than one year. MAP is utilizing this opportunity to expand assistance and service to rural communities in our nine-state area. To learn more about the services MAP can provide, please visit our website.
|
MAP Tribal Assistance in SD
The Pine Ridge Reservation is located in the southwest corner of South Dakota and encompasses three counties. This is the home of the Oglala Lakota people and the second largest Reservation in the United States.
In 2007, MAP staff Mickey Hartnett conducted an inspection of 16 wastewater lagoon systems on the Reservation. Based upon those inspections and the resulting report and recommendations, the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) Water & Sewer Department and OST Lakota Housing Office have performed some maintenance and improvements to some of the systems, and are currently seeking USDA-RD grant funds to reconstruct a system. MAP is assisting the OST with the grant proposals and may update the inspections at the request of the OST in the coming year.
The long-term outcome is intended to be a self-sufficient tribal wastewater program that provides adequate and safe water collection and treatment to protect the health and quality of life of the residents of the reservation and facilitate economic development.
|
|
|
|
|
