EPA Publishes State Collaboration Success Stories

In 2011 and the early months of 2012, EPA and state drinking water program representatives participated in a “collaboration” workgroup to identify new ways of thinking about how states can leverage the reach of their capacity development programs to provide greater support for small public water systems.  This effort was an outgrowth of the 2010 EPA Reenergizing Capacity Development initiative.

This week, EPA has posted the workgroup’s products – a series of fact sheets that feature “practical opportunities for better integration” as well as internal and external collaboration within the drinking water program, with other state agencies, and among state programs and their partner organizations.  You may download the fact sheets at: http://water.epa.gov/type/drink/pws/smallsystems/state_guidance.cfm#state

Success stories from 19 different states (AZ, CA, CO, IA, KS, KY, ME, MD, MN, MS, MO, NH, NV, OH, PA, RI, SD, TX, and WA) discuss collaborative efforts that focus on internal/external program teaming options; innovative and coordinated funding streams; and partnering opportunities between capacity development and operator certification programs.  Each focus area contains different approaches (or models) used by state drinking water programs to identify particular challenges, find and implement solutions to those challenges, and demonstrate success.

Please share these fact sheets with your staff and colleagues with an interest in finding additional means to enhance small system technical, financial, and managerial capabilities.  One or more of these state success stories may also work for you…or inspire a new idea that would work even better for your state!