Small systems as well as large ones are facing additional challenges today. No longer can a treatment plant or utilities department submit forms, covering their operations to the local and federal government, without maintaining backup records for lengthy periods of time and many permanently. With EPA regulating the water industry under environmental acts such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Superfund Amendment Reauthorization Act, etc., systems are held to maintenance and storage of tons of paper. State and local laws also require additional records. It is not enough to know what records to maintain and destroy. Under litigation, even if an organization can produce required records, they also must be able to show proof of a record's maintenance program or policies that support the management of them during the course of everyday business. An organization can be held responsible for the manner in which they maintain and destroy records. There must be a reasonable effort exerted to preserve, protect and maintain records under the utilities charge. There are basic records management tools that can be used to keep control and give credibility to a system's records keeping procedures such as: records system analysis; records inventory; and retention/disposition system.