The Division of Water capacity development program helps public drinking water systems improve or optimize their technical, managerial and financial framework so they can provide safe drinking water in a consistent and cost-effective manner.
Capacity development provisions provide an exceptionally flexible framework within which states and water systems can work together to ensure that systems acquire and maintain the technical, financial and managerial ability to consistently achieve the health objectives of the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Under the SDWA, states must develop and implement a strategy to meet the objectives of capacity development. This strategy must include the following elements:
- Prioritize systems most in need of improving capacity. Identify the factors that encourage or impair the capacity of water systems.
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Use the authority and resources of the SDWA to enhance technical, managerial and financial capacity.
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Establish a baseline and measure the capacity improvements of systems in the state.
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Involve stakeholders in state efforts to improve water system capacity.
The Area-Wide Optimization Program (AWOP) can provide a model for implementation of capacity development strategies. Using AWOP, states can prioritize systems based on the system's performance data, identify factors limiting water system performance, gauge capacity improvement by comparing AWOP data and provide technical assistance.
Revisions to the capacity development strategy are currently under consideration. Read the current strategy, the proposed revisions and a list of proposed assessment questions (links below).
Reports to the Governor on Capacity Development
2002 Capacity Development Update (PDF)
Triennial Report 2005 (PDF, 14 pages)
Triennial Report 2005 (Word, 14 pages)
Resources
Small Drinking Water Systems and Capacity Development -- EPA information and guidance for small systems.
Refer to the EPA's Handbook for Capacity Development: Developing Water System Capacity under the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended in 1996.
Small systems (serving 3,300 or fewer) refer to Strategic Planning Handbook for Small Water Systems.
