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Public Water System Capacity Development

Information and resources to assist public water systems in improving their technical, financial, and managerial operations.

Public drinking water systems are vital to the health, safety, and economies of our communities.  We rely on them for disease protection, fire protection, basic sanitation, economic development, and to support our quality of life.  We should not take safe water for granted.  The people managing and operating our public drinking water systems face significant challenges as they try to provide their customers a sufficient amount of safe water.  Capacity Development supports the ability of systems to meet these challenges by improving their technical, financial and managerial operations.

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Certified Drinking Water Operators

Certified operators provide onsite management, operations or maintenance services to public water systems. They make sure that all systems meet the requirements of the Massachusetts Drinking Water Regulations. And they maintain their certification and skills through continuing education programs.

Operators are certified (licensed) by the Board of Certification of Operators of Drinking Water Supply Facilities, which is overseen by the Division of Occupational Licensure within the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. Operators must pass an exam and meet educational and experience requirements prior to becoming licensed.

Additional Resources

Operator Certification Reports

MassDEP provides annual reports to USEPA on operator certification programs and projects.  For more information about the operator certification program, refer to the Board of Certification of Operators of Drinking Water Supply Facilities website.

Annual Reports

Capacity Determinations

All public water systems receive a capacity determination (rating) by MassDEP.  New systems receive an initial determination and exiting systems may receive an updated determination based on an evaluation in response to sanitary survey results, a major water quality violation, change in ownership, application for a State Revolving Fund loan, or anytime deemed necessary by MassDEP.  The three capacity ratings are adequate, conditional, and inadequate.

Adequate Capacity

A system with adequate capacity:

  • Complies with all major DW regs and expected to comply well into future
  • Demonstrates willingness and ability to plan for the future, including capital improvement plans, emergency funds, enterprise accounting, employee training, and updated master plans

Conditional Capacity

A system with conditional capacity:

  • Complies with all MassDEP’s drinking water regulations but has issues that are being monitored and rectified.
  • Complies but may not have addressed a foreseeable major need that will have to be addressed within the next five years.
  • Not in compliance with drinking water regulations but has demonstrated good faith in remedying issues through an enforceable agreement such as an Administrative Consent Order (ACO) and remains in compliance with the enforcement order.
  • Not in compliance, but the deficiencies can and will be corrected within 12 months.

Inadequate Capacity

A system with inadequate capacity:

  • Out of compliance with drinking water regulations or cannot be expected to meet them in the future.
  • Does not plan ahead for future impacts (e.g., growth and aging infrastructure) which could greatly impair their ability to provide water that meets state and federal standards.
  • Substantial technical assistance is required in order to improve system performance.

Capacity Development Strategy

The MassDEP Capacity Development Strategy describes new and existing efforts to increase the technical, managerial, and financial (TMF) capacity of public water systems.  The overall goal of the capacity development strategy is to work with systems to prevent a lack of TMF capacity that could result in a violation of a drinking water standard, in poor drinking water quality, and/or in a public health emergency.

Capacity Development Reports

MassDEP provides annual and triennial reports to USEPA on capacity development programs and projects.

Triennial Reports

Annual Reports

PWS Funding Resources

There are a variety of potential funding sources available to public water systems, including loans and grants.

Additional Resources

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund

The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program provides low-cost financing to help community public water suppliers comply with federal and state drinking water requirements.

The program's goals are to protect public health and strengthen compliance with drinking water requirements, while addressing the Commonwealth's drinking water needs, through affordability and proper watershed management priorities.

Trainings

MassDEP along with its partner agencies and organizations offer trainings throughout the year. Certified operators need a certain amount of training hours to renew their licenses.

Asset Management

Asset management is an important component of capacity development. It helps systems to protect public health by properly identifying, maintaining, and replacing system components.

Additional Resources

Technical Assistance

There are a variety of resources for PWS to improve their system’s technical, financial, and/or managerial capacity.

MassDEP Technical Assistance Programs

MassDEP partners with University of Massachusetts – Amherst (UMass) to provide technical assistance to PWS for a variety of drinking water programs. MassDEP and UMass work with Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs) to work with PWS on meeting their capacity goals. PWS can request technical assistance from MassDEP for programs such as:

  • Lead in Schools and Child Care Centers: Technical assistance activities include reviewing education outreach materials about lead in drinking water, designing and implementing a sampling program, analyzing drinking water samples for lead, or helping identify remediation actions to address elevated lead levels in drinking water.
  • Small Systems: MassDEP and UMass collaborate with TAPs and other waterworks and planning organizations such as RCAP Solutions and Massachusetts Rural Water Association to provide trainings to drinking water operators, assess current capacity issues, and recommend capacity improvements. MassDEP and UMass also assist PWS with identifying and placing interns at the PWS.
  • Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC): MassDEP DWP has partnered with the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) Drinking Water Assistance Center (DW-ASSIST) to provide pilot and/or bench scale testing of treatment to small and/or disadvantaged public water systems in support of their potential EC-SDC projects. Testing services are available on-site via use of UMass’ Mobile Water Innovation Laboratory, or on campus at UMass laboratories. Testing services can include jar testing, rapid small-scale column tests, and bench scale pilot testing for eligible PWS. Please note that services will be available on a case-by-case basis, as determined by MassDEP and UMass. Please refer to Water Treatment Testing Services for EC-SDC for more information.
  • Cybersecurity: TAPs work with PWS to identify strategies and resources for PWS to use to strengthen their infrastructure’s cybersecurity and increase the cybersecurity knowledge of their staff.
  • And more!

To request technical assistance from MassDEP, please contact MassDEP at program.director-dwp@mass.gov, Subject: Request for Technical Assistance, and describe the type of technical assistance that your PWS needs. 

EPA Technical Assistance: WaterTA

EPA offers a free technical assistance program called WaterTA to support communities to identify water challenges; develop plans for solutions; increase community engagement; improve compliance and access to safe and clean water services; build technical, financial, and managerial capacity; and develop application materials to access water infrastructure funding. WaterTA is used in a variety of EPA programs.

WaterTA is available to local governments/communities, water utilities/systems (including drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater sectors), states, tribes, territories, and non-governmental organizations. The WaterTA program targets disadvantaged and underserved communities as well as those that may struggle to access funding to improve their water infrastructure. EPA will directly assist these communities and meet the communities where they are by building trust, adjusting to their needs, and being culturally competent.

EPA’s WaterTA services fall under the following categories: 

  • Planning and Assessment
  • Project Development
  • Partnerships and Engagement
  • Funding and Financing
  • Program Management Support

WaterTA can also provide engineering resources to help PWS complete Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) application requirements. Engineering support that can be provided by WaterTA includes project needs assessments, preliminary engineering reports, and preliminary project cost estimates.

To request technical assistance from EPA’s WaterTA program, please fill out the request form.

Environmental Finance Center

The Environmental Finance Center helps PWS build local capacity to pay for the growing cost of protecting critical environmental resources and fostering resilient communities. Their programs including assistance for funding and financing of climate adaptation and resilience, stormwater and nutrient management, water infrastructure, and sustainable operating practices.

The Environmental Finance Center (EFC) has been in existence since 1992 and has offices throughout the country. The EFC was developed by and is partially funded by EPA; however, is not a part of EPA. The New England EFC network was established in 2001 and operates through the University of Southern Maine with a focus on climate resiliency and sustainability. They have worked closely with the Southwest Network over the years providing training to small PWS.

PWS can benefit from the EFC to help them prepare their system’s asset management plan, budget, and other financial plans.

To request assistance from the EFC Network, go to the website and click on “Get Help” in the top right corner of the screen.

RCAP Solutions

RCAP Solutions supports rural communities with on-site technical assistance to address drinking water, wastewater, and solid waste needs. RCAP offers services in all New England states, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Some of RCAP’s services include water and wastewater infrastructure solutions, GIS utility mapping, and private wells assessments and education. RCAP also provides technical training related to drinking water and wastewater topics.

To request assistance from RCAP, go to the Contact Information page and look for the contact person for the service area for which you need assistance.

Massachusetts Rural Water Association

Massachusetts Rural Water Association (MassRWA) is a non-profit trade association for rural water and wastewater utilities. MassRWA is a nationally-recognized Rural Water Association. MassRWA provides training and on-site technical assistance for small water and wastewater systems in Massachusetts. MassRWA can also help systems with source protection and planning and system mapping. 

To request assistance from MassRWA, go to the RWA Services webpage and contact the individual(s) listed under the service you are seeking.

Professional Associations

There are a variety of professional water works and planning organizations that provide training and technical resources for PWS. Some of these organizations include, but are not limited to, the following:

System Resources

Documents and links to support the operations of a public water system.

Additional Resources

Contact

Online

MassDEP Drinking Water Program Email MassDEP Drinking Water Program at program.director-dwp@mass.gov
Last updated: March 26, 2025

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