Open AccessTechnical Assistance Needs and Research Priorities for Small Community Water Systems
Author(s) -
Dziegielewski Ben,
Bik Tom
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of contemporary water research and education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1936-704X
pISSN - 1936-7031
DOI - 10.1111/j.1936-704x.2004.mp128001003.x
Subject(s) - library science , citation , sociology , media studies , computer science
Drinking water supplies in the United States are among the safest in the world. This is primarily due to the system of national drinking water regulation and monitoring that began with the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974. Currently, approximately 94% of the U.S. population is served by community water systems that meet all existing health-based standards (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2002b). However, the burden of meeting these regulatory demands falls most heavily on the nation’s smallest systems. These systems face numerous community, economic, and environmental challenges in operating and maintaining their systems and meeting regulatory guidelines (Cromwell et al. 1992; National Research Council 1996; Shanaghan 1994). Numerous initiatives have been employed to improve small systems’ viability. Technical assistance programs from non-governmental organizations, funding assistance from state and federal agencies, promotion of regional approaches to water delivery systems, and operator training programs are some of the efforts that have targeted different facets of the small system problem. The most recent amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (1996) included many provisions that address the needs of small systems. One of these provisions authorized nine Technical Assistance Centers to serve small systems, including the Midwest Technology Assistance Center (Midwest Technology Assistance Center 2003). MTAC’s mission is to “provide small system administrators and operators with the information necessary to make informed decisions on planning, financing, and the selection and implementation of technological solutions to address their needs” (MTAC 2003). As part of its mission, MTAC sponsored a study to establish benchmarks of economic and managerial capacity for small systems (Dziegielewski et al. 2000). This paper reports on that benchmark study; specifically, it reviews (1) the status of drinking water systems in the Midwest and (2) the expressed need of system managers for assistance.