Capacity development: the small system perspective

A brief two-part study was undertaken to find out what midsized and smaller systems know about capacity development and what they need in order to com ply with SDWA requirements. Three paradoxes emerged. (1) Capacity developme nt provisions bring both more risk and more opportunity. (2) The provisions take more time but also save time. (3) The provisions allow states flexibi lity while requiring them, as a rendition of receiving 100 percent of their Drinking Water State Revolving Fund allotment, to help systems acquire and maintain capacity. Suggested steps to resolve these paradoxes are presente d for consideration by state primacy agencies and other groups.