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Clean Water
State Revolving Fund
FACT use U1 llie Clean Water State Revolving Fund
SHEET to Implement Security Measures at Publicly-
owned Wastewater Treatment Works
Every American needs to be confident that the
discharge from their community wastewater
treatment plant is safe. Adequate protection of
publicly-owned treatment works (POTW)
conveyance and treatment systems has been an
important goal of the Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA) wastewater program. Since the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, we have
received questions from states about the eligibility of
security measures for financial assistance through the
Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF).
While the events of September 11 have focused
attention on this matter, it is important to note that
POTWs have always worked to protect facilities from
vandalism and have monitored influent waste streams
to assess their vulnerability to industrial discharges.
EPA encourages state wastewater programs and
CWSRF programs to continue to work with POTWs
to help them identify their vulnerability to security
threats and vandalism and take steps to ensure
protection of the public health of their customers.
This fact sheet discusses the types of projects that
may be fundable through the CWSRF that will help
POTWs ensure the protection of their facilities.
What is the CWSRF program?
The EPA's CWSRF program provides grant funding
to states to allow them to assist POTWs to make
infrastructure improvements needed to protect public
health and ensure compliance with the Clean Water
Act. States may use CWSRF monies to provide low
or zero percent interest rate loans to municipalities for
wastewater infrastructure, including facility and
sewer construction and rehabilitation, storm water
management, and combined sewer and sanitary
overflow correction.
What can wastewater utilities do to ensure
security?
Water utilities can take straightforward, commonsense
actions to increase security and reduce threats from
terrorism. Areas in which to focus attention, as
recommended by the Association of Metropolitan
Sewerage Agencies, the Association of State and
Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators, the
Water Environment Federation, and other leading
professional organizations, include guarding against
unplanned physical intrusion, making security a
priority for employees, coordinating actions for
effective emergency response and investing in security
and infrastructure improvements.
What security measures can be funded through the
CWSRF?
States may provide CWSRF assistance to POTWs to
allow them to complete vulnerability assessments and
contingency and emergency response plans. Many of
the types of infrastructure improvements a wastewater
system could need to take to ensure security are also
eligible for CWSRF funding and may have already
been included within the scope of infrastructure
projects funded through the program to date. Table 1
identifies specific activities that POTWs could take to
ensure the security of their systems and indicates if the
activity would be eligible through the CWSRF
program.
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FACT
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What security measures cannot be funded through
the CWSRF?
It should be noted that maintaining a human presence
can be the most important security measure a POTW
can take to ensure that its facilities are protected. The
CWSRF program cannot fund operations and
maintenance activities for POTWs and therefore
could not provide financing for an increased human
security presence. Likewise, the CWSRF program
cannot provide assistance to help a system purchase
the chemicals needed to increase disinfection.
Type of Activity
General
Vulnerability Assessments
Contingency/Emergency Response
Plans
Facility
Security Guards
Fencing
Security Cameras/Lighting
Motion Detectors
Redundancy (systems and power)
Secure Chemical and Fuel Storage
Lab Equipment
Monitoring
Sewer System
Securing Large Sanitary Sewers
Tamper-proof Manholes
Eligible under
CWSRF
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Table 1. Security Measures & Eligibility under the CWSRF Program
How will states fund POTW projects?
If a municipality is interested in obtaining financing to
implement security measures, the first step in seeking
assistance is to contact the state CWSRF
representative - who can be found on the Office of
Wastewater Management web site at:
www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/index.htm
Typically, any project that will receive CWSRF
funding must go through public review as part of
development of an annual Intended Use Plan that lays
out how the state will implement its CWSRF program
over the subsequent year. States do, however, have
the ability to include procedures in their programs that
can allow them to fund emergency projects. Each
state should consider the proposals they receive from
municipalities in order to make a determination as to
whether the proposed improvement would qualify as
an emergency project that should be addressed
immediately.
In some cases the types of activities that will need to
be implemented may have a longer time horizon. For
example, some communities are switching their
treatment process to eliminate the use of gaseous
chlorine. This type of project, which may require time
for design and planning, will be on a longer timeline
than a project needed to install adequate security
fencing, and would thus go through the traditional
process for funding CWSRF projects.
Where can I find more information?
The Agency is coordinating with the water industry to
provide information and technical assistance to states
and utilities to help during this time. EPA is working
collaboratively with the Association of Metropolitan
Water Agencies and other groups to develop an
Information Sharing and Analysis Center to bolster
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; Clean Water
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coordinated notification and response to threats and vulnerabilities. For additional information, you can also
visit the following web sites:
EPA Counter-terrorism
www.epa.gov/swercepp/cntr-ter.html
EPA Alert on Chemical Accident Prevention and Site Security
www.epa.gov/ceppo/pubs/secale.pdf
U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
www.bt.cdc.gov
Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies
www. am sa-cl ean water. org
Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators
www.asiwpca.org
National League of Cities
www.nlc.org/nl c_org/site/newsroom/terrorism_response/index.cfm
National Governors Association, Emergency Management and Terrorism
www.nga.org/center/topics/l,1188,D_854,OO.html
if 2002 *
THE YEAR OF
ClEAN WATER
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For more information about the Clean Water Revolving Fund, or for a program representative in your State,
please contact:
Clean Water State Revolving Fund Branch
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1201 Constitution Avenue, NW (Mailcode 4204M)
Washington, DC 20004
Phone: (202) 564-0752 Fax: (202) 501-2403
Internet: http://www.epa.gov/owm/cwfmance/index.htm
Clean Water
State Revolving Fund
Office of Water January 2003 EPA 832-F-03-002
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