Water System Capacity Development
Capacity development helps public water systems stay reliable, safe, and able to meet drinking water standards. The Safe Drinking Water Act introduced this idea to make sure water systems have the skills and resources they need to protect public health every day.
Capacity development focuses on three main goals:
- Protect public health by meeting drinking water standards
- Improve operations through efficiency and strong performance
- Support long-term planning and ongoing improvement
Water system “capacity” has three connected parts:
- Technical – the physical system and technical skills
- Managerial – how the system is organized and run
- Financial – the system’s ability to pay for operations and future needs
A water system must have strength in all three areas to stay sustainable.
Nevada's Capacity Development Strategy
Nevada’s strategy guides how the state supports public water systems. Key objectives include:
- Identifying systems most in need
- Assessing each system’s technical, managerial, and financial capacity
- Providing programs that help systems meet Safe Drinking Water Act requirements
- Encouraging partnerships between systems
- Tracking progress and measuring success
Sustainability
Water systems across the country face large funding needs for repairs and upgrades. To help close that gap, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative. This approach encourages long-term planning and smart investment.
EPA highlights four priority areas:
- Better management
- Full cost pricing
- Water efficiency
- The watershed approach
Nevada supports each of these areas through board training, rate studies, water conservation planning, and source water protection efforts. State funding programs also encourage responsible rates and planning for system replacement needs.
Capacity Development Reports
The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection prepares reports that highlight statewide capacity development activities.
Governor's Report on Capacity Development
The Safe Drinking Water Act requires states to report regularly on how well their capacity development strategies are working. Nevada submits this report to the Governor and makes it available to the public. The report describes progress in improving technical, managerial, and financial capacity across Nevada’s public water systems.
Drinking Water Assistance
Drinking water systems can receive technical assistance and support at no cost in the following areas:
Available Training:
- Board training
- Clerical and office staff training
- Operator certification training
- Security and health threats training
For drinking water systems assistance mail us at ndep-ofa@ndep.nv.gov.
Capacity Assessment
Understanding a water system’s technical, managerial, and financial (TMF) capacity is essential for operating “like a business” and maintaining long‑term sustainability. Capacity assessments help identify system strengths, reveal areas needing improvement, and support effective planning. They also allow the state to match each system with the right type of assistance.
Water systems applying for drinking water funding must complete a TMF Capacity Assessment. Once submitted, the assessment is automatically forwarded to the Associate Engineer, and the completed survey is uploaded into NIFS.
Applicants can access the assessment form here:
Visit TMF Capacity Assessment (external link)
Assessment frequency and documentation
- Capacity assessments are completed at the entity level, not the project level.
- Each entity must complete a new assessment at least once every three years.
- Completed assessments are uploaded into NIFS under entity documents, with an expiration date applied using the toggle switch.