(The Center Square) — Wastewater and drinking water systems in small and rural communities across America will receive an extra funding boost to improve water quality, per an announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday.

The EPA will distribute $30.7 million in technical assistance grants to help small, underfunded public water systems comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act. The funds can also be used to help private well owners in rural areas improve their water quality and update small public wastewater septic systems.

“Small and rural communities are the backbone of our country, and they face unique challenges when it comes to ensuring clean and safe water,” EPA Senior Advisor Jessica Kramer said. “EPA is committed to assisting small and rural communities with improving water quality, protecting health, bolstering economic opportunities and protecting water resources.”

The National Rural Water Association will receive $9 million to support small systems, while the Southwest Environmental Finance Center at the University of New Mexico will use $7 million to build and improve small system infrastructure.

Nearly $10 million will go to the Rural Community Assistance Partnership to plan lead service line replacement in small systems and bolster system cybersecurity. RCAP will direct $1.25 million to improve small public wastewater systems and $3.45 million to help private well owners test for drinking water contaminants like PFAS.

“We are honored to collaborate with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to advance initiatives that support rural and tribal communities nationwide,” RCAP CEO Olga Morales-Pate said in a statement. “As a recognized national leader in rural water technical assistance, RCAP is uniquely positioned to deliver tailored support to small utilities and private well owners.”

The EPA’s announcement follows its decision Monday to declare the lead contamination-based water emergency in Flint, Michigan, over after nine years, The Center Square reported.

Under the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the agency has conducted a mixed response to water contamination across the U.S., especially concerning PFAS pollution.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of several thousand man-made chemicals used to make products water repellent, heat-resistant, or non-stick. The chemicals are also linked to a variety of adverse health effects, including cancer and reproductive problems.

In April, the EPA pledged to “hold polluters accountable” and better enforce chemical discharge limits, among other improvements.

But it also plans to revise and possibly withdraw the first-ever drinking water standards on four out of the six most dangerous PFAS chemicals that the Biden administration EPA began to regulate, as well as extend regulatory compliance deadlines.