An 8-day training course on operations and maintenance (O&M) of rural potable water systems was conducted for 20 community operators and 30 community council members in Paracaya, Bolivia, early in l987. In the course - the last phase of the assistance provided to the Department of Environmental Sanitation (DSA) by the Water and Sanitation for Health (WASH) Project - 14 tecnicos (paraprofessional technicians) pilot-tested an O&M manual they had developed during a previous training-of-trainers workshop 2 months earlier. The pilot course was judged a success on the basis of the skills and knowledge exhibited by its participants and by their oral and written comments. The course design was adequate, and the tecnicos proved themselves able to conduct training using the principles of adult education, to develop effective training materials, and to apply and transmit their technical expertise to others. If WASH assistance is to be effective in the long run, however, DSA and USAID/B must support the development of O&M plans and make the transition from system construction to O&M. Actions needed to attain this end are specified. Four appendices and five tables are attached. (Author abstract, modified).