Water System Sustainability Grant Program -Asset management grants

The Water System Sustainability Grant Program provides essential funding for community water systems to enhance their operational efficiency through effective asset management practices. This initiative supports both new programs and improvements to existing asset management efforts, encouraging proactive management strategies that ensure sustainability and financial viability. With a focus on technical and managerial capacity, the program aims to empower communities to make informed decisions about their water infrastructure and resources.

The Water System Sustainability Grant Program offers grants intended to assist community water systems (CWS) with developing programs that will ensure sustainable operations and identify potential improvements in technical, managerial and/or financial operations, also known as capacity development
The goal of the Drinking Water Asset Management Program is to shift the management of water system assets from reactive to proactive management to improve operational efficiency and technical, managerial and financial capacity. Asset management provides a data-driven, defensible way to budget and prioritize projects and resources, aids in setting rates that reflect the true cost of service and can aid transitions in staff and leadership. This grant is intended for community water systems to implement the elements of asset management within their organization.
An essential element of a successful asset management program is a “champion,” someone who will be the driving force behind the project and carry the asset management program forward after the grant is completed.
Requirements Specific to New Asset Management Programs
This grant is intended for community water systems that have not yet implemented asset management within their organization. Applicants are encouraged to include all the tasks in the “Core Elements for an Asset Management Program” list but are not required to do so.
Requirements Specific to Asset Management Program Improvements
For community water systems that have already received an Asset Management Grant or that can demonstrate that an asset management program is in place, funding is available to improve or grow the existing program.