Many rural and small systems throughout the country face significant management and operational issues. These may include aging or inadequate infrastructure, recruiting and retaining qualified staff, growing or establishing financial reserves, and setting rates that are reflective of their operational costs and capital needs. This Rural and Small Systems Guidebook to Sustainable Utility Management (Guidebook) speaks to these challenges. It is an important part of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Instituted in 2011, the MOA supports a series of activities to help rural and small water and wastewater systems more effectively provide sustainable services to the communities they serve.
The Guidebook helps rural and small water and wastewater systems in their common mission to become more successful and efficient service providers. The Guidebook is designed to introduce rural and small water and wastewater systems to the key areas of effectively managed systems. It provides background information on ten key management areas, as well as instruction and assistance on how to conduct a system assessment process based on the key management areas. It also includes information on how to prioritize areas for improvement, while developing measures of progress that can help small systems with performance enhancement.
Download the Rural and Small Systems Guidebook to Sustainable Utility Management here.