The Rural Center Water and Wastewater System Efficiency Program provides planning assistance for a town to conduct a water audit and to undertake a leak detection program to identify sources of major underground water loss in either the water or sewer system. The program will then provide resources toward repairing identified leaks. The program will reduce operating costs, conserve water, and/or prevent environmental contamination. In a time of persistent, severe, and more frequent drought, the program will help preserve a precious resource. The Water and Wastewater System Efficiency Program demonstrates that investments in existing systems will generate additional capacity, reduce the amount of unbilled water, and reduce expenses caused by inflow and infiltration in small rural systems, thus reducing the demand for federal and state program dollars (EPA, USDA, ARC and EDA) to support more costly methods of system replacement. Due to limited funding, the program will be targeted to the rural communities participating in the Rural Center’s Small Town Economic Prosperity (STEP) program in the NC-08 congressional district which includes Candor and Mt. Gilead.