The Maryland Rural Water Association (MRWA) is committed to our mission to improve the quality of life in the rural communities of Maryland by helping our members provide clean, safe, affordable drinking water, and the proper treatment of wastewater to ensure the protection of the environment.
MRWA achieves our mission by employing experienced full-time technicians, specialists, and trainers who visit water and wastewater systems in all parts of the State on both a scheduled and as-needed basis. The professional staff at MRWA is skilled in all areas of water and wastewater operations and management.
We provide training and on-site assistance in the areas of: wellhead and groundwater protection; proper operations, maintenance, management, health and environmental compliance for drinking water and wastewater systems; acquiring financing to build, expand and/or upgrade systems for compliance with federal/state drinking water and wastewater rules and regulations; and provide regularly scheduled professional, certified classroom training online and at various local centers to enable system operators to sharpen their skill sets, maintain their certifications and improve their professional knowledge.
MRWA staff members work closely with the Environmental Protection Agency’s State Primacy Agency, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), to resolve system problems and to provide a conduit for conveyance of critical information to the individual systems in a timely manner. We also work with MDE to identify and develop specific Assistance Plans for individual systems.
MRWA focuses its resources exclusively on water and wastewater systems with less than 10,000 populations, and more typically on systems with less than 3,000 populations. Approximately 500 systems are identified in this category in Maryland. MRWA services are provided at no charge.
MRWA is governed by a Board of Directors elected by our membership. We have a proven track record of providing the highest quality training, technical assistance, and services necessary for promoting public health and environmental protection.
On-site Technical Assistance Services
- Leak Detection
- Line Location
- Sewer Camera
- Smoke Generator
- Pressure Flow Tester
- Turbidity Meter
- Vulnerability Assessments/Emergency Response Plans
- Hydrant Flow Testing
- Wellhead Protection
- Lab Procedure
- Record Keeping
- Consumer Confidence Reports
- Operation/Maintenance of water and wastewater systems
- Treatment
- Assisting with compliance
Advocacy Support
- Assist towns with locating funding from State and Federal Agencies (MDE, EPA, USDA-RD)
- Help to determine and advise on the potential impacts of proposed regulations on water and wastewater systems