The National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project (NDWRCDP) is a cooperative effort funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) which supports research and development to improve our understanding and strengthen the foundations of training and practice in the field of onsite/decentralized wastewater and stormwater treatment.  Organizations collaborating in this effort include the Coalition for Alternative Wastewater Treatment (CAWT), the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA), the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), and the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF).

The USEPA has indicated that "adequately managed decentralized wastewater systems are a cost-effective and long-term option for meeting public health and water quality goals, particularly in less densely populated areas."  A March 2007 workshop convened by the NDWRCDP brought together a number experts in the field, and highlighted the important role that these systems hold in the context of developing more sustainable, integrated, water infrastructure in the future.  However, a number of impediments, or "barriers", exist to more widespread use of onsite/decentralized systems.

The goal of the NDWRCDP is to remove these barriers (which are described in more detail here) and address critical information gaps in order to develop the capacity of community leaders, regulators, service providers, and others to respond to the increasing complexities of and expanding need for onsite/decentralized wastewater treatment.  The NDWRCDP achieves this by identifying research and development opportunities in the onsite/decentralized wastewater field and then providing funding to support universities, non-profit organizations, and other qualified public and private agencies and institutions to carry out these projects.

To review the status of NDWRCDP activities and funding, please click on this link: NDWRCDP Status.