The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing tools and timely information to help communities improve sustainability of their water systems. Two new documents that describe how the EPA is carrying out efforts to help are the "National Capacity Development Strategic Plan" and "Analysis on the Use of Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Set-Asides: Promoting Capacity Development." The EPA works with a number of partners, including organizations that provide technical assistance to small public water systems, to improve technical, managerial and financial capacity of systems.
The "National Capacity Development Strategic Plan" describes how the EPA, state drinking water programs, drinking water system owners and operators and technical assistance providers will work together to achieve the objectives and anticipated outcomes of the national capacity development program. The strategy outlines how the EPA and its partners will promote proactive communication and outreach to help ensure that water systems have the capacity to demonstrate long-term sustainability. Funding made available through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program can be critical in advancing capacity development programs at the state level.
EPA's report titled "Analysis on the Use of Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Set-Asides: Promoting Capacity Development" provides information on how states have used their funds and will help state drinking water personnel, drinking water system owners and operators and technical assistance providers to better understand how the DWSRF can support supporting capacity development programs and EPA's sustainable infrastructure initiative.
Source: U.S. EPA