(Washington, D.C.) – The USDA is joining forces with the Environmental Protection Agency to address issues associated with rural septic systems and other individual decentralized wastewater units. USDA Reporter Rod Bain and Rural Utilities Service Administrator Andrew Berke have the details.
“One out of 5 Americans live in an area that requires use of a septic system or decentralized wastewater unit. As a mean to protect health and safety in the event of a system failure. What this memorandum of understanding does is allows us to partner with a bunch of different agencies to ensure we’re bring all the resources of government to bear to help people across rural America. USDA Rural Development Rural Utilities Service Administrator Andrew Berke says the MOU was originally developed by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2005 with the USDA joining the memorandum of understanding last month. it allows us to be at the table with other people advocating for rural America and making sure the resources that they have come to our communities that the place maybe we haven’t had relationships with in the past that the EPA or others know it’s an issue that we can get to them.”
