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As the state primacy agency for implementing the Safe Drinking Water Act in Colorado, the Department of Public Health and Environment is responsible for implementing a capacity development program. The department implements parts of their capacity development program through the activities of the Local Assistance Unit (LAU). The goal of the LAU is to protect public health by assisting public water systems as they build their Technical, Managerial, and Financial (TMF) capacity. Division staff wrote an article in August of 2022 highlighting the importance of TMF capacity building. This article will detail the ways in which the LAU can help you and your drinking water system continue to improve your TMF capacity to better serve your customers and community.
The department's Safe Drinking Water Program operates under a culture of health and LAU’s primary focus is to work with water professionals to build a culture of health in their duties and in the public water systems they work with. In our work with public water systems we focus on the primary mission of our industry: to protect public health by providing Colorado’s communities with safe drinking water. We know this work takes precision, dedication, expertise, and continuous improvement. Our aim as a unit is to assist you in the critical work you do.
Any water system can implement capacity development and feel the benefits of increased TMF capacity. Small systems can especially benefit from capacity development as these systems often face resource challenges (few staff members, limited funding, aging infrastructure etc). The LAU and our team is dedicated to assisting all public drinking water systems in Colorado, and especially small and rural systems. Please note that all of the programming that our unit offers is free of charge. Our coaching and training opportunities are meant to help all water sector professionals including but not limited to: decision makers, administrative staff, operators, maintenance staff, water boards, city councils, lab staff, and anyone else that is invested in and responsible for protecting public health by providing safe drinking water.
Water Sector Coaching
Our water coaches travel across the state to deliver one-on-one assistance to public water systems. To work with a coach (free of charge) please fill out our coaching request form. Our coaches will reach out to you to establish contact and to determine the areas where your system wants to improve. We will then work with you to create a project plan, implement that plan, and help you overcome roadblocks and challenges to your plan. The main tool that our coaches use to establish these goals is a TMF worksheet. This worksheet is a series of questions that help you and your coach identify what is working well, what needs work, and where you would like to focus your efforts. Based on the TMF worksheet your coaches may work with you on one of the below areas.
Regulatory compliance: Lead and copper rule revision, backflow and cross-connection planning and implementation, tank inspection and summaries, updating your monitoring plan, interpreting and responding to recent sanitary survey findings, preparation for an upcoming sanitary survey, developing a plan to return to compliance in cases of enforcement orders, interpreting sampling schedules, and developing sampling techniques.
Technical troubleshooting: source water protection and analysis, storage tank operations and maintenance, data collection for potential GWUDI, treatment operations, distribution system operations, maintenance planning and execution, special studies (tracer study, jar test, etc), waste stream residual management, changes in operations that would warrant a design approval submission to division engineers, and setting up a newly discovered system.
Facility management optimization: project management techniques, administration organization techniques and tools, regulation 100 overview, roles and responsibilities of the operator in responsible charge (ORC) and decision-maker, creating a written agreement with an ORC, delegation planning, operations and maintenance planning, standard operating procedures, staff training programing, and workforce development.
Financial planning: capital improvement planning, grants and loans documentation, asset management planning, financial project management, rate setting, and budgeting.
Emergency management: tabletop exercises, Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP), development of risk and resilience assessments and emergency response planning documents, security and safety, and emergency preparedness and response.
Water Sector Training Events
In addition to coaching, LAU also offers free virtual and in-person training events every month. Below are LAU’s current training opportunities. To register for any of the training events please click on the training title, this will send you to a document with all of the upcoming offerings for that training. You can then register for the training you are interested in by selecting the date and filling out the registration form. You will receive an email shortly after you fill out your registration. Please contact cdphe.wqdwtraining@state.co.us if you have any questions or run into any issues with registration. All of the training events we offer are approved for training units.
- Monitoring and Operating for Regulatory Compliance: This 4-hour course is offered on the first Wednesday of every month. The training is approved to meet the operator certification regulatory training requirement for Water. The purpose of this training is to equip you and your system with the tools and strategies to comply with Regulation 11 and 100. We are currently focusing on the following topics in this training: storage tank operations, maintenance and planning, monitoring schedules, monitoring plans, backflow prevention and cross-connection control planning and implementation, compliance with current the lead and copper rule and planning for the upcoming lead and copper rule revision, and regulation 100 planning and compliance.
- Sanitary Survey Preparation: This 3-hour training is offered on the third Wednesday of every month. We aim to equip you with resources and skills to recognize and proactively address potential violations and significant deficiencies.
- Building Resilience in Your Water/Wastewater System: This 4-hour training is offered on a quarterly basis. The training focuses on resilience planning and aims to help you create, implement, and build upon your emergency management plans, improve your system’s security measures, take stock of your current financial situation and plan for your system’s financial future, and navigate State Revolving Fund (SRF) funding opportunities.
- Lead and Copper Rule Revisions: This 2-hour training is offered monthly throughout 2023. The training will help your system plan and prepare for the rule revision changes that go into effect October 2024.
Thank you for all of your hard work to protect the public health of Colorado Communities. The Local Assistance Unit looks forward to working with you!
➽ Kyra Gregory Drinking - Water Training Specialist
