A certificate of approval shows that the drinking water system went through the planning process.
Planning is critical for all new and existing water systems.
With increasing drinking water requirements, running a water system like a business has become essential. A system that lacks technical, managerial, or financial capacity will have problems complying with all the requirements of the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act amendments. Because new water systems are now required to complete the planning process, systems will have adequate capacity and will ensure customers have safe drinking water. This includes water systems that do not meet the definition of community or nontransient noncommunity at start-up, but are designed to one day meet that definition. For example, a developer plats 30 lots for homes in the development, but when the water system begins operation, there are only four homes hooked-up to the system.