Technical Assistance Grant

Free Wastewater Help for Small Communities

Hands-on, no-cost technical assistance for rural communities dealing with septic and wastewater problems

Is your community dealing with failing septic systems, drainfields that won’t drain, groundwater or lake contamination concerns, small lots with nowhere to put a new system, or a sewer project that’s simply too expensive? You don’t have to figure it out alone. Missouri Smallflows Organization (MSO), a NOWRA State Affiliate, has a Technical Assistance (TA) Professional ready to help — at no cost. Whether it’s one problem you need solved or a bigger question about your community’s future, help is scaled to what you need.

What We Offer – At No Cost

  • Quick help with one problem – A failing system, a compliance notice, a permit or design question — often a phone call or one visit is all it takes to sort it out.
  • A closer look when you need it – If the problem is bigger, we come to your community, look at what’s going on, and talk with the people who live with it.
  • A plan of options – Realistic, affordable choices explained in plain language — not a one-size-fits-all answer.
  • Help finding funding – We’ll point you to state and federal programs that help pay for wastewater improvements and help you get started.
  • Learning opportunities – Workshops and webinars on keeping systems working for the long haul.

Who Qualifies

  • Rural communities and unincorporated areas with fewer than 2,500 residents.
  • Priority goes to communities where household incomes are limited and a big infrastructure bill is out of reach.
  • Towns, villages, sanitation and water districts, homeowners associations, tribal communities, and neighborhoods without a formal government can all ask for help.

Who Can Reach Out

  • Mayors, council or board members, clerks, and town staff
  • Sanitary, water, or sewer district boards
  • County commissioners and health departments
  • HOA leaders, tribal officials, and concerned residents

How It Works

Step 1: Reach Out

Call or email us. Tell us a little about your community and what you’re seeing.

Step 2: We respond

Many problems get solved with a call or a single visit. If it’s one issue, we help you fix it — and you’re done.

Step 3: We dig in if needed

Our TA Professional walks the site, meets with local leaders and residents, and lays out your options and what they’d cost.

Step 4: We help you act

If you decide to move forward, we stay with you — including help with funding applications.

Get in Touch

TA Professional:  Ericka Frahm

Email:  techassistant@mosmallflows.org

Phone:  (417) 200-2123

There's No Catch

This help is free to your community. We’re a nonprofit association of wastewater professionals, and this program is supported by USDA Rural Development so that small communities get the same quality of guidance larger cities can afford. Asking for a visit doesn’t commit you to anything — it just gives you better information to decide with.

This technical assistance is provided by NOWRA and its State Affiliates and is funded in part by a grant from USDA Rural Development.

This material is based upon work supported under a grant by the Rural Utilities Service, United States Department of Agriculture.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Rural Utilities Service.

National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer.