Wyoming, known for its rugged landscape and breathtaking sceneries, is also home to many rural communities that face unique challenges with their water and wastewater systems. In terms of landscape and population distribution, Wyoming is one of America’s most rural states. Though every citizen deserves access to clean water and efficient wastewater treatment irrespective of their location, providing these services in the more remote parts of this vast state requires assistance at several levels.
The majority of Wyoming’s drinking water infrastructure was constructed between 50 and 100 years ago and many communities with populations less than 3,500 utilize these aging facilities [^1^]. The rural nature and widely scattered population make it challenging to maintain, upgrade, and, when necessary, replace this aging infrastructure.
However, there have been concerted efforts at the state and federal level to aid rural Wyoming communities. Funds have been allocated to update vital water treatment, storage, and distribution projects through the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s (WDEQ) State Revolving Funds (SRF) program [^2^]. The SRF program is fundamentally a loan program that provides low-interest loans to Wyoming communities for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also offers assistance via their Rural Development’s Water and Environmental Program (WEP). The WEP provides funds in the form of loans, grants, and loan guarantees for drinking water, sanitary sewer, solid waste, and storm drainage facilities in rural areas and towns with a population of 10,000 or less [^3^].
In a time of growing awareness about the significance of clean, potable water, Wyoming’s rural communities represent an important part of the conversation. The challenges they face serve as a reminder that water security is not guaranteed even in a country as developed as the United States. With the ongoing support of state and federal agencies, there are hopeful signs that Wyoming can continue to improve its rural water and wastewater systems.
[^1^]: Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems. (2017). WY Rural Water. [Online] Available at: http://www.warws.com/
[^2^]: Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. (2020). Water Quality Division. [Online] Available at: http://deq.wyoming.gov/wqd/
[^3^]: USDA Rural Development. (2019). Water and Environmental Programs. [Online] Available at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-loan-grant-program
