Working with rural communities to construct, operate and maintain safe drinking water and sanitary wastewater facilities
Community Water & Wastewater Systems
What does Communities Unlimited do for rural water systems?
We work alongside rural communities to manage and improve their water and wastewater systems. That means managerial guidance, operations and maintenance training, financial and technical support, lending for system improvements, and pre-development planning, all in one place.
Communities Unlimited is the southern regional affiliate of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP). We work alongside rural communities in seven states to run, maintain, and improve the water and wastewater systems their neighbors depend on, from the daily operations to the funding for major upgrades.
Talk to the water team
What technical services and training do you offer?
What management, planning, and GIS services are available?
How can a water system pay for improvements?
We provide hands-on technical support and training, in person and by webinar, so your community can operate, maintain, and improve essential infrastructure safely and efficiently.
We work alongside communities to strengthen governance and plan for sustainable growth: strategic planning, policy development, and administrative support, including budgeting, feasibility studies, and GIS mapping.
We work alongside communities to secure funding and meet financial requirements for system improvements, from rate analysis and compliance to predevelopment, audit, and construction loans.
Community Infrastructure Stories
Buried Lines
In July 2024, 75 people showed up to a meeting in Gore Springs, Mississippi, an unincorporated Delta community in…
Small Town, Big Turnaround
Zavalla, Texas, sits in Angelina County in the eastern part of the state, where deferred maintenance, economic strain,…
Staying Power
For decades, the people running the Village of Dry Prong’s water system in Grant Parish, Louisiana — a small community…
Clear Water, Clear Path
TJ O’Rourke knows water like the back of his hand. He’s an engineer and has drilled wells, built systems,…
From Stability to Breakthrough
In Melville, located in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, progress is no longer a plan. It’s underway. On April 6, town…
Breaking Point
In the far southern edge of Arkansas, tucked into the timberlands of Union County near the Louisiana border, the small…
Full Turnaround
In Hull, Texas, a rural community in Liberty County, Texas, access to drinking water once hinged on a single, aging…
Lewisville’s Next Chapter
Two years ago, Lewisville was a community searching for traction. When Communities Unlimited (CU) first documented the…
Clean Water Returns to School
For years, students at Jackson Steele Elementary School in White Hall, Alabama, located in Lowndes County, couldn’t use…
Mapped Future
When broadband construction was scheduled to begin in the small town of Willisville, Arkansas, located in Nevada…
Turning Point
In October 2024, the Town of Wabbaseka was still searching for a way forward. The small Jefferson County community in…
Reliable Together
Along the edge of Reelfoot Lake in northwest Tennessee, the neighboring communities of Elbridge and Hornbeak in Obion…
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Communities Unlimited do for rural water and wastewater systems?
We work alongside rural water and wastewater systems on the whole picture: operations and maintenance training, planning and GIS mapping, financial management, and loans for system improvements. As the southern regional affiliate of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), we bring a national network’s expertise to local systems across seven states.
What technical assistance and training does Communities Unlimited offer?
We provide hands-on technical support and training, in person and by webinar, so operators and boards can run, maintain, and improve their systems safely and meet drinking water and wastewater standards.
What can a rural water system do if it is out of compliance?
We work alongside systems facing compliance problems. We combine technical fixes, operator training, planning, and access to funding to bring a system back into compliance and keep it there.
How can a rural water system pay for improvements?
We work alongside communities to find funding and meet financial requirements, from rate analysis and compliance to predevelopment, audit, and construction loans. See our Water & Wastewater Loans
Which states does Communities Unlimited serve for water and wastewater?
We serve rural water and wastewater systems across seven states: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama.
