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.
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These Simple Tools for Effective Performance (STEP) guides offer clearly stated, step-by-step information to help small systems better understand complex regulatory requirements or policy initiatives.
- Drinking Water Security for Small Systems Serving 3,300 or Fewer Persons: One of the Simple Tools for Effective Performance (STEP) Guide Series (December 2005)
- Strategic Planning: A Handbook for Small Water Systems—One of the Simple Tools for Effective Performance (STEP) Guide Series (September 2003)
- Asset Management: A Handbook for Small Water Systems—One of the Simple Tools for Effective Performance (STEP) Guide Series (September 2003)
- Taking Stock of Your Water System: A Simple Asset Inventory for Very Small Drinking Water Systems (October 2004)
- Small Systems Guide to Safe Drinking Water Act Regulations: The First STEP to Providing Safe and Reliable Drinking Water—One of the Simple Tools for Effective Performance [STEP] Guide Series (September 2003)
DEQ develops an annual report for EPA regarding our Capacity Development activities for the state fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). Additionally, federal requirements direct DEQ to provide a capacity development report to the state’s Governor every three years. The two sets of reports on DEQ’s Capacity Development activities are below.
Annual Reports
- 2021 Annual Report to EPA
- 2020 Annual Report to EPA
- 2019 Annual Report to EPA
- 2018 Annual Report to EPA
- 2017 Annual Report to EPA
Triennial Reports