As a precautionary response to COVID-19, Ohio EPA is currently operating with most staff working remotely. If you are working with our staff on a current project and you know the name of the employee you are working with, email them at firstname.lastname@epa.ohio.gov or call them directly. The Agency website has contact information for every district, division, and office. In order to reach us, please contact Ohio EPA’s main phone line at (614) 644-3020 or the main line for the division or office you are trying to reach.

After March 23, our district offices and Central Office will be temporarily closed and will have increasingly limited ability to receive deliveries, plans, etc. All entities are encouraged to submit plans, permit applications, etc., electronically where there are existing avenues to do so, such as the eBusiness Center (eBiz). Please refer to the list of available services on the main eBiz webpage. We encourage you to make use of all that apply, even if you have not used eBiz in the past. Plans under 25 MB can be emailed. For large plans over 25 MB, entities should work with the reviewer/division to upload via LiquidFiles. Directions for submitting docs via LiquidFiles is available on YouTube. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you in advance for your understanding. If you wish to send hard copies of documents to any of Ohio EPA’s district offices, the best method to ensure we receive these documents is to send them via U.S. Mail. Since all offices are closed, deliveries outside of U.S. Mail (FedEx, UPS) will likely be returned because the offices are closed and deliveries cannot be made.

To report a spill or environmental emergency, contact the spill hotline (800) 282-9378 or (614) 224-0946. 

Asset Management Program

The goal of asset management is to achieve the longest useful life of each asset at the lowest cost while delivering the expected level of service.

The intent of an asset management program (AMP) is to provide public water systems (PWSs) with a tool to better manage, operate, and maintain their water system so that the PWS can cost-effectively and consistently meet safe drinking water requirements. The minimum requirements of an asset management program are established in Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Section 6109.24 and Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) Chapter 3745-87.

 

 

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. 

Asset Management Screenings

Metrics

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, 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 Susan Schell via:
Email: susan.schell@epa.ohio.gov
Fax: (614) 644-2909
Mail: Ohio EPA – DDAGW
Attn: Susan Schell
Lazarus Government Center
50 W. Town St., Suite 700
P.O. Box 1049
Columbus, OH 43216-1049

Reference Documents 

Drinking Water Online Portal (DROP) 

Metrics data must be reported online annually using the DROP Application.  Please note the application will only be available from August 1 to November 15 annually.  If the person submitting the DROP Application 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. 

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.   

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 

Background 

Metrics are performance measures that allow public water systems (PWSs) to gauge the status of their water system. Metrics must be tracked and reported to Ohio EPA on an annual basis. PWSs are encouraged to track the metrics using their Asset Management Program Template and to set goals for their metrics in order to improve operations and reduce costs over time. 

OAC Rule 3745-87-05 outlines the specific metrics required for community and noncommunity public water systems. 

Some of the metrics are determined based on a calculation. For those metrics, the PWS will be required to report the data, and Ohio EPA will complete the calculation electronically in DROP. Please reference the metrics fact sheets above for specific details on metrics data that must be tracked and reported. 

For more information regarding metrics, please contact: Susan Schell in Ohio EPA’s Central Office at susan.schell@epa.ohio.gov or (614) 644-2752.

Overview of Technical Assistance and Services

Ohio EPA

Ohio Rural Community Assistance Program (Ohio RCAP)

Auditor of State’s Office

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

AWWA

Environmental Finance Network

Asset Management Training

Asset Management Overview for Small Community Public Water Systems, December 2019

Phone: (614) 644-2752
Fax: (614) 644-2909

 Email Webmaster

Physical address (use this address for overnight deliveries):
Ohio EPA - DDAGW
Lazarus Government Center
50 W. Town St., Suite 700
Columbus, OH 43215

Mailing address:
Ohio EPA - DDAGW
Lazarus Government Center
50 W. Town St., Suite 700
P.O. Box 1049
Columbus, OH 43216-1049 
District Contact Phone
CDO Osterfeld, Dan (614) 728-5034
NEDO Werner, Rebecca (330) 963-1200
NWDO Schiefer, Jill (419) 373-3089
SEDO Wallace, Sarah (740) 380-5207
SWDO Hayes, Gina (937) 285-6118
     

 

DDAGW Site Links

 
 800-282-9378