Asset Management Program

Asset Management Program Templates

• Written Description Template 
• Noncommunity Asset Management Program Template (Word or PDF ) 
• Small Community Asset Management Program Template (Word or PDF ) - This template is intended for communities serving a population less than or equal to 3,300, but it can be used by larger communities as a basis for developing their program. 
• Small Noncommunity Asset Management Program Template (Word or PDF) – This template is intended for small noncommunity public water systems serving a population less than or equal to 250 with no substantial treatment.

Asset Management Screenings

• Asset Management Screening Questions

Metrics

• 2020 Community DROP Worksheet
• 2020 Noncommunity DROP Worksheet
• Community Metrics Fact Sheet 
• Noncommunity Metrics Fact Sheet

For Loans 

If your water system is in the process of applying for a loan through Ohio EPA, submit the following financial documents for review to the Project Coordinator in DEFA-CO. Please contact your Drinking Water Inspector for the specific contact information of the DEFA Project Coordinator. 

• Copy of the latest water rate ordinance/schedule 
• Table of organization, including the financial section 
• Water supply capital improvement plan 
• Schedule of indebtedness for the water infrastructure
• Past Financial Performance 
  • Copies of the last 5 years of Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR), OR 
  • The financial statement for each of the past 5 years of operation.
  • Note: Either of these sources (i.e., CAFR or financial statements) must have the enterprise or proprietary funds separated (the water, sewer, and all other funds must be delineated separately). 
  • Basis of accounting used in development of the CAFR or financial statement. 
• Projected Financial Statements 
  • Projected financial statements for each of the next 5 years of water fund operation, OR 
  • A pro forma statement, which is a cost projection of the proposed water system revenues and expenses, including predicted deficits and surpluses. The statement must include the next 5 years of operation, but it may be developed in planning horizon intervals of 5, 10, and 20 years. 

If otherwise required by Ohio EPA to submit financial information for review 

If your community public water system (PWS) is required by Ohio EPA to submit financial information for review, and your PWS is not applying for a loan, submit the following documents to DDAGW-CO: 

• Latest water rate ordinance/schedule 
• Documentation of triennial water rate evaluation (water rates evaluated in past 3 years) 
• Documentation of all customers being billed for water usage, if applicable 
• One of the following for the past 5 years: 
  • Publicly owned PWS: Copies of the past 5 years of Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR) or substantively equivalent documents,
    OR 
  • Non-publicly owned PWS: Most recent five years of financial statement documentation of assets, liabilities, income, expenditures, balances, and equity of the system 
• All of the following for the next 5 years: 
  • Income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flow for the PWS operating fund, 
  • Amortization schedule of all PWS debt, including terms of all outstanding debt 
  • Capitalization of long-term debt anticipated in the next five years 
  • Any existing information demonstrating bond or credit rating 

This information can be submitted to Sean Stephenson via:
Email: Sean.Stephenson@epa.ohio.gov
Fax: (614) 644-2909
Mail: Ohio EPA – DDAGW
Attn: Sean Stephenson
Lazarus Government Center
50 W. Town St., Suite 700
P.O. Box 1049
Columbus, OH 43216-1049

Background 

All Public Water Systems (PWSs) in Ohio must track and report metrics annually as part of their asset management program implementation. Metrics are performance measures that allow public water systems (PWSs) to gauge the status of their PWS and to set goals for their metrics in order to improve operations and reduce costs over time. Ohio EPA has developed fact sheets that explain the metric requirements for community and non-community systems. The fact sheets are below, please reference these for specific details on metrics data that must be tracked and reported.

For more information regarding metrics, please contact: Sean Stephenson in Ohio EPA’s Central Office at sean.stephenson@epa.ohio.gov or (614) 644-3625.

Drinking Water Online Portal (DROP) 

Metrics are required to be submitted electronically via the Drinking Water Online Portal (DROP). DROP will also be used to update water system information, including owners, administrative, financial and operator of record contacts, if applicable. Metrics must be reported between August 1st – November 15th for the previous calendar year (for example during the 2020 reporting period metrics data from the 2019 calendar year would be reported).

Public water systems are encouraged to use one of the DROP worksheets (either the Community DROP Worksheet or Noncommunity DROP Worksheet) to gather the data required to be entered in DROP. Do not submit the DROP worksheet to Ohio EPA. The worksheet is only intended as a reference to help public water systems gather data. The data must be entered online in DROP and submitted electronically; paper copies will not be accepted.

The following two short videos were created to assist in accessing your account and navigating the PWS DROP application.

PWS LTO DROP Customer Support Center Login

Navigating PWS LTO DROP Application

If the person submitting the metrics for your water system has changed (a.k.a. the Metrics Submitter), please contact Brian Tarver at brian.tarver@epa.ohio.gov or (614) 644-2752 to update account information.

Reference Documents 

• Community DROP Worksheet
• Noncommunity DROP Worksheet
• Community Metrics Fact Sheet 
• Noncommunity Metrics Fact Sheet 

For guidance on DROP or metrics, please contact Ohio EPA’s Central Office at DDAGW.AssetManagement@epa.ohio.gov or (614) 644-2752 or visit: https://epa.ohio.gov/ddagw/pws/assetmanagement .

Overview of Technical Assistance and Services

Ohio EPA

• Valve Exercising Program Guidance
• Rules
• The following resources are available to assist with calculating a water system’s approved capacity:
  • Capacity Projection Calculation Worksheet
  • Approved Capacity: Planning and Design Criteria for Establishing Approved Capacity for: 1) Surface Water and Ground Water Supply Sources, 2) Drinking Water Treatment Plants (WTPs), and 3) Source/WTP Systems
  • Approved Capacity Question & Answers
• Asset Management Programs for Public Water Systems Fact Sheet

Ohio Rural Community Assistance Program (Ohio RCAP)

• Ohio RCAP’s website
• Ohio RCAP provides consulting services to help rural communities (population under 10,000) address their drinking water and wastewater treatment needs. 
• Asset Management Webinar Series
  • Asset Inventory (Slides) (Slides with Audio)
  • Condition Assessments (Slides) (Slides with Audio)
  • Capital Improvement Plan (Slides) (Slides with Audio)
  • Preventative and Predictive Maintenance (Slides) (Slides with Audio)
  • Budgeting (Slides) (Slides with Audio)
  • Metrics — SDWIS Training Webinar NEW PWS Form, June 11, 2019

Auditor of State’s Office

• The Auditor of State’s Office offers local governments a full range of professional consulting, accounting, and financial reporting resources.  They also offer training for financial officers, including new fiscal officers.  Please contact their office at 1-800-345-2519 or complete their contact form for more information.
• The Auditor of State’s website includes additional information for local governments and school districts in fiscal distress.

Ohio Rural Water Association (ORWA)

• ORWA offers free onsite technical assistance to rural water and wastewater system members, as well as hosting training events and meetings.  Please visit ORWA’s website to learn more.

Operator Training Committee of Ohio, Inc. (OTCO)

• OTCO offers various training sessions for water system operators.  Please visit OTCO’s website to learn more.

U.S. EPA

• Asset Management for Water and Wastewater Utilities
• Asset Management: A Best Practices Guide
• Building an Asset Management Team
• Asset Management: A Handbook for Small Water Systems

AWWA

• Asset Management webpage
• AWWA Free M36 Water Audit Manual

Environmental Finance Network

• Homepage
• Asset Management webpage

Capability Assurance Strategy - Triennial Reports to the Governor

• 2020 Capability Assurance Strategy – Triennial Report to the Governor

Asset Management Training

• Ohio EPA Slides
• RCAP Slides