The Water Quality Control Division’s Local Assistance Unit is charged with assisting Colorado’s public water systems with building their capacity to provide safe drinking water to their communities now and into the future. Capacity can be defined as the amount that something can hold or produce, whether it is applied to people, things or systems. In a public water system (PWS), capacity is an indicator of the overall health of a system. A PWS’s capacity is assessed using 3 criteria: Technical, Managerial, and Financial or T-M-F. Just 3 little letters, sounds simple, right?
Don’t let the simplicity of those letters fool you, they are powerful. The key to a successful and healthy water system is T-M-F capacity. Every part of a water system can be classified under one (or more) of these criteria areas. So, it makes sense that understanding your system's capacity is essential to running a successful water system. In fact, when applying for funding an in depth capacity assessment may be required, depending on the funding source. Beyond funding however, it is a tool that helps you manage and assess your system’s needs both short and long term.
How can you determine your system's capacity?
CDPHE’s TMF capacity worksheet tool can assist you. This worksheet offers a condensed, quick-tool version of the more robust TMF assessment done when applying for funding. By completing each question you will generate an estimate of your capacity percentage for each criteria area TM & F. Using this percentage you can determine which areas are in good shape and which areas require more focus. Good TMF capacity is often tied to good asset management. Understanding your system as a whole is critical to short- and long-term planning. Assets are everything your system is composed of from the physical infrastructure, pipes, meters, tubing, valves, etc. to the people that work in your system. Asset management is a cumulative inventory of your system as a whole that allows you to critically assess each piece, its lifetime, cost, and to generate a prioritized needs assessment. There are a variety of tools available for developing your asset management plan:
- Asset inventory is a big part of asset management and the EPA’s Taking Stock of Your Water System: A Simple Asset Inventory for Very Small Drinking Water Systems is an easy to follow tool that will help you begin developing your asset inventory.
- Asset Management: A Handbook for Small Water Systems offers a step by step guide to building a full asset management plan. A robust asset management plan facilitates high capacity and high capacity is directly tied to a systems success.
Need assistance with asset management or capacity development?
The Colorado Department of Public Health (CDPHE) Water Quality Control Division (WQCD) has capacity coaching available for free through the Local Assistance Unit (LAU). A PWS can request assistance by filling out the Coaching Assistance Form. Please welcome the newest member of our capacity development team Angela Green Garcia. Angela will be focusing on asset management and financial readiness.
➽ Angela Green Garcia - Drinking Water Training Specialist
