Step 5 – What Should I Do Next?

Once you have inventoried and prioritized your assets, determined how much money you will need to set aside each year to fund the rehabilitation and replacement of your assets, and explored funding options for your water system, you can use your asset management plan to help plan your water system’s future. You will have a good picture of when you will need to replace your assets and how much money you will need to fund those replacements and continue to deliver safe and secure drinking water to your customers.

Remember that the worksheets should be reviewed, revised, and updated annually. Your asset management plan should help you shape your system’s operations and should change as your priorities change. Current information in the worksheets provides a better picture of your system’s position, and better prepares you to meet your water system’s future needs.

Taken in tandem with the strategic planning tools available in EPA’s Strategic Planning STEP Guide (EPA 816-R-03-015), the worksheets will give you a good idea of the challenges your system may face in the future and help you think about the most cost-effective and efficient way to address those challenges. Consulting with your State or Regional Capacity Development Coordinators through Primacy Agencies or Tribal Contacts and developing a plan of action with their assistance will ensure that you can continue to deliver safe and secure drinking water well into the future.