Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants in Michigan

The Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants (ECWAG) program in Michigan, administered by USDA Rural Development, helps rural communities prepare for, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water. The program assists communities experiencing a significant decline in drinking water quantity or quality due to drought, flood, storm, earthquake, chemical contamination, or sudden infrastructure failure.

To be eligible, applicants must serve a rural area, town, or city with a population not exceeding 10,000 people. In addition, the service area's median household income cannot exceed the state's nonmetropolitan median household income, and the emergency that impacted the drinking water system must have taken place within the past two years.

Eligible projects include developing new water sources, building water treatment facilities, drilling wells, constructing storage tanks, and repairing or replacing damaged transmission lines and pumping equipment. Funding is designed to provide immediate relief and long-term stabilization of essential drinking water infrastructure.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing, year-round basis. Prospective applicants should contact the Michigan USDA Rural Development state or local office to verify eligibility and receive assistance with preparing and submitting application materials through RD Apply.