Office of Drinking Water Quality

Capacity Development Program

Introduction

The goal of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 (SDWA) is to ensure that public water systems have the ability to provide safe drinking water to the public. The Act, as amended, seeks to ensure that public water systems have the capability to produce safe drinking water now and into the future. To achieve this, the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments include provisions for several new Drinking Water programs – one of which is the Capacity Development program.

Summary of Capacity Development

Water system capacity is the ability to plan for, achieve, and maintain compliance with all applicable Federal, State and Local drinking water standards. Adequate capability in all areas is necessary for the successful operation of a public water system.

There are three major components of capacity identified in the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments: technical, managerial, and financial.

Technical Capacity refers to a water system’s ability to operate and maintain its infrastructure.

Managerial Capacity refers to the expertise of the water system’s personnel to administer the system’s overall operations.

Financial Capacity refers to the financial resources and fiscal management that support the cost of operating the water system.