To ensure residents have access to safe and adequate drinking water, Public Water Systems (PWS) need to build the proper technical, managerial and financial capabilities.

That is where the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment’s (DWEE) Capacity Development Program comes in. It is responsible for:

• Overseeing and implementing Nebraska’s Capacity Development Strategy, which is required by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
• Coordinating services to assist public water systems with technical, managerial, and financial concerns using the state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
• Providing training to water system personnel regarding capacity development, asset management and other related activities.

Technical Capacity

Technical Capacity refers to the physical infrastructure of the water system: its source water, treatment, storage, and distribution. It also refers to the system’s personnel and their ability to operate and maintain the system.

Managerial Capacity

Managerial Capacity is the water system’s ability to conduct its affairs to meet the SDWA requirements. It refers to the systems’ institutional and administrative capabilities, such as staffing, organization, and management.

Financial Capacity

Financial Capacity is the system’s ability to acquire and manage sufficient financial resources to comply with the SDWA. This includes maintaining good credit and sufficient revenue and properly managing its finances.

DWEE’s Capacity Development Program helps PWS build their capacity by:

• Regularly collects information about systems to assess their current capacity
• Providing training to public water system operators and community boards that oversee PWS
• Providing capacity development resources on the agency’s website
• Assisting communities with wellhead and source water protection efforts
• Providing security grants

Having strong technical, managerial, and financial capacity also helps PWS develop short- and long-term plans for the future needs of the system – ensuring safe drinking water into the future.