将小型水系统与大型水系统进行物理互连，或创建共享管理和其他专业知识的网络，可能会为小型水系统面临的问题提供长期解决方案。利用地理信息系统显示结果并筛选地理障碍，作者通过计算小型和附近大型供水系统之间的距离，分析了17个州的重组潜力，并应用筛选标准，以表明重组方案是否具有成本效益。 对于多达35%的小型社区供水系统而言，与大型系统进行物理互连在经济上是可行的，尽管根据此处使用的标准，在大多数受审查的州，只有10-20%的小型社区供水系统具有成本效益。然而，在被评估的州，大型系统向小型系统提供卫星服务的潜力很大。这些结果不能用于实施任何特定的重组方案，但它们提供了对整体重组潜力的洞察。 包括14个参考文献、表格和图表。

Physically interconnecting small water systems with larger ones or creating networks of shared management and other expertise might provide a long term solution to the problems facing small water systems. Using a geographic information system to display results and screen for geographic barriers, the authors analyzed restructuring potential in 17 states by calculating distances between small and nearby larger water systems and applied screening criteria to indicate whether the restructuring option would be cost effective. Physical interconnection with a large system may be economically feasible for up to 35 percent of small community water systems, although in most states examined it would be cost effective for only 10-20 percent of them based on the criteria used here. However, the potential for large systems to provide satellite services to small systems is high in the states evaluated. These results cannot be used to implement any particular restructuring option, but they provide insight into overall restructuring potential. Includes 14 references, tables, figures.