If you were to search the definition of "technical assistance," you would find there isn't one standard definition that can be used across the board. But rather, there are many different variations depending on the industry and the focus area. For our nation's small and rural water and wastewater systems, technical assistance can take many forms.
The National Rural Water Association (NRWA), through its member State Rural Water Associations, has been providing technical assistance to small and rural utilities since 1976. But it is important to note that the concept of providing technical assistance to these utilities didn't begin with NRWA, but rather through those champions in rural America that had already begun the movement at the state level, starting many State Associations before NRWA was in existence.