EPANET provides a fully-equipped, extended period hydraulic analysis package which can:

• handle systems of any size
• compute friction head loss using the Hazen-Williams, Darcy-Weisbach, or Chezy-Manning formulas
• include minor head losses for bends, fittings, etc.
• model constant or variable speed pumps
• compute pumping energy and cost
• model various types of valves including shutoff, check, pressure regulating, and flow control valves
• allow storage tanks to have any shape (i.e., diameter can vary with height)
• consider multiple demand categories at nodes, each with its own pattern of time variation
• model pressure-dependent flow issuing from emitters (sprinkler heads)
• base system operation on simple tank level or timer controls as well as on complex rule-based controls.

In addition , EPANET's water quality analyzer can:

• model the movement of a non-reactive tracer material through the network over time
• model the movement and fate of a reactive material as it grows (e.g., a disinfection by-product) or decays (e.g., chlorine residual) with time
• model the age of water throughout a network
• track the percent of flow from a given node reaching all other nodes over time
• model reactions both in the bulk flow and at the pipe wall
• allow growth or decay reactions to proceed up to a limiting concentration
• employ global reaction rate coefficients that can be modified on a pipe-by-pipe basis
• allow for time-varying concentration or mass inputs at any location in the network
• model storage tanks as being either complete mix, plug flow, or two-compartment reactors.

EPANET was specifically developed to help water utilities maintain and improve the quality of water delivered to consumers through their distribution systems. It can be used to design sampling programs, study disinfectant loss and by-product formation, and conduct consumer exposure assessments. It can assist in evaluating alternative strategies for improving water quality such as altering source utilization within multi-source systems, modifying pumping and tank filling/emptying schedules to reduce water age, utilizing booster disinfection stations at key locations to maintain target residuals, and planning a cost-effective program of targeted pipe cleaning and replacement.

EPANET can also be used to plan and improve a system's hydraulic performance. Pipe, pump and valve placement and sizing, energy minimization, fire flow analysis, vulnerability studies, and operator training are just some of the activities that EPANET can assist with.