Department of
Environmental Quality

The drinking water capacity development program helps public drinking water systems improve or optimize their technical, managerial and financial framework so they can sustainably provide safe drinking water to their customers in a cost-effective manner.

Water system capacity is the ability to plan for, achieve, and maintain compliance with drinking water standards. Three major components of capacity are identified in the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA):

• Technical Capacity refers to a water system’s ability to produce safe drinking water as well as operate and maintain its equipment.
• Managerial Capacity refers to the ability of the water system’s personnel to administer the system’s overall operations.
• Financial Capacity refers to the financial resources of the Public Water Supplier and the fiscal management that supports the cost of operating the water system.

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 SDWA.

Capacity Development Reports

• 2008 Triennial Report to the Governor
• 2009 Annual Report to EPA
• 2010 Annual Report to EPA