EPA's Role in
Water Security
Research
The Water Security Rese
and Technical Support
Action Plan
15
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%.
' are... taking significant steps to
strengthen our homeland protections
securing cockpits, tightening our borders,
stockpiling vaccines, increasing security at
water treatment and nuclear power plants."
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH
JUNE 6,2002
EPA/600/R-04/037
August 2004
EPA's Role
in Water Security
Research
The Water Security Research
and Technical Support Action Plan
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Homeland Security Research Center
Office of Water
Water Security Division
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with vegetable-based ink on
paper that contains a minimum of
50% post-consumer fiber content
processed chlorine free
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Introduction
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Water every drop of it is a precious natural resource that
Americans once enjoyed with little thought to potential tampering by
terrorists or others. Today, however, U. S. citizens are increasingly aware
of threats of harm to our homeland. The terrorist attacks of September
11,2001, and the delivery of anthrax-contaminated letters later that year
have taught us to anticipate that other such threats are possible.
Terrorist threats are targeted not just at individuals, but also at the
country's vital institutions and infrastructure, including drinking water
and wastewater systems. To combat such threats, it is essential that
government agencies, water utilities, state
and local water agencies, public health
organizations, emergency and follow-up
responders, academia, and the private sector
from across the country be ready to protect
our water infrastructure. These entities are
working together to reduce vulnerabilities to
terrorism, prevent and prepare for terrorist
attacks, minimize public health effects
and infrastructure damage, and enhance
recovery from any attacks that may occur.
EPA's Water Security Role
As the lead federal agency for protecting the nation's drinking water
and wastewater infrastructure, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) plays a critical role in homeland security. Agency
support for water system protection is multifaceted. Much of the work
accomplished by EPA over the past several decades in such areas as
emergency response, risk assessment, hazardous waste cleanup, drinking
water and wastewater treatment, and water quality monitoring is
being applied to water security. Many of the current Agency activities
supporting water infrastructure protection are conducted by the Office
of Research and Development's National Homeland Security Research
Center (NHSRC) and the Office of Water's Water Security Division
(WSD), both of which were initiated after the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
These organizations work together to provide research and technical
support to the drinking water and wastewater sectors.
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The National Homeland Security Research Center oversees three
major research areas: Water Security, Rapid Risk Assessment,
and Safe Buildings. The Center's Water Security Team is
conducting research to increase the understanding of public
health and environmental impacts from various kinds of water
infrastructure attacks. This understanding, when integrated
into water security practices, leads to improved awareness,
preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery from intentional
acts against water systems. The Team is producing analytical
tools and procedures, technology evaluations, models and
methodologies, decontamination techniques, technical resource
guides and protocols, and risk assessment methods. All of these
products are for use by EPA's key water infrastructure customers
water utility operators, public health officials, and emergency
and follow-up responders.
The Water Security Division supports drinking water and
wastewater utilities by preparing vulnerability assessment and
emergency response tools and training, providing technical
and financial assistance, and developing information exchange
mechanisms. The Division has provided training and financial
assistance to water utilities for assessing their security
vulnerabilities and developing emergency response plans for
dealing with potential terrorist attacks. WSD is also charged
with supporting best security practices, providing security
enhancement guidance, and incorporating security into the
day-to-day operations of drinking water and wastewater
utilities. In addition, the Water Security Division works closely
with NHSRC in delivering research results in a timely and
appropriate fashion.
Along with providing research and technical support, both
the Water Security Division and the National Homeland
Security Research Center encourage information sharing and
risk communication strategies among key water infrastructure
stakeholders. This includes making use of the Water Information
Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterlSAC), a comprehensive
online resource of security information for drinking and
wastewater utilities managed by the Association of Metropolitan
Water Agencies (www.waterisac.org).
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The Water Security Research and Technical
Support Action Plan
To enhance its working knowledge of water industry security
problems in the U.S., EPA has engaged numerous water experts and
stakeholders from government, industry, and academia. Other key
participants are representatives from public health organizations,
emergency responders and follow-up responders, law enforcement
officials, environmental groups, and related professional associations.
EPA has held meetings with these experts and stakeholders to gain
their insights on the vulnerabilities and technical challenges facing
the water industry for which research and technical support are
crucial. With assistance from other federal agencies and contractors,
both the Water Security Division and the National Homeland
Security Research Center are addressing these challenges. Issues,
needs, and projects are summarized in the comprehensive Water
Security Research and Technical Support Action Plan, hereafter referred
to as the Action Plan. The Action Plan is available on the web at
www.epa.gov/nhsrc and www.epa.gov/watersecurity.
The Action Plan addresses drinking water supply, water treatment,
finished water storage, and drinking water distribution system
infrastructure. It also covers wastewater treatment and collection
infrastructure, including sanitary and storm sewers or combined
sanitary-storm sewer systems, wastewater treatment, and treated
wastewater discharges.
Source -^Treatment^Distribution-^Sewer/Treatment^Discharge
Ground Water
Wells
Post Treatment
.Storage
\Iodifiedfrom a graphic provided by Sandia National Laboratories
Work described in the Action Plan is ongoing and EPA will periodically
update the plan as new information on threats, contaminants, and
threat situations is developed.
Action Plan Issues
Results from federal partner and water stakeholder meetings are
organized in the Action Plan under the seven issues listed below. Each
issue describes significant research needs with specific projects listed for
each need. Although the Action Plan focuses primarily on biological,
chemical, and radiological contaminants in drinking water systems, it
also addresses physical and cyber threats, contingency planning, risk
assessment, risk communication, and infrastructure interdependencies.
Protecting drinking water systems from physical and cyber threats
Identifying drinking water threats, contaminants, and threat
scenarios
Improving analytical methodologies and monitoring systems for
drinking water
Containing, treating, decontaminating, and disposing of
contaminated water and materials
Planning for contingencies and addressing infrastructure
interdependencies
Targeting effects on human health and informing the public about
risks
Protecting wastewater treatment and collection systems
The Action Plan takes the following approach to address these issues
and deliver products:
Enhance collaborative research and technical support
Provide for technology advancement through testing, evaluation,
and verification
Share information in both secure and open fashions
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Research and Technical Support in the Context of EPA's Water Security Program
Training
mergenc
Responsv
Incorporating Security
Into the Water Business
Research and
Khnical Support
I
ater
Program
ools and
itocols
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Key Research and Technical Support Needs
Partners and stakeholders have identified the following key research
and technical support needs to enhance protection of existing water
infrastructure, including security against cyber attacks and other ways
to disrupt water systems:
Identify and characterize threats that could be used to disrupt
water systems
Develop methods for detecting and monitoring contaminants in
water
Create rapid screening technologies for the identification of
unknown contaminants
Improve detectors and early warning systems for water
distribution and collection systems
Enhance models for contaminant transport in pipes and
distribution systems
Test and evaluate the performance of sensors and biomonitors
Refine fate
and transport
information for
contaminants in
water
Develop treatment
or inactivation
techniques for water
contaminants
Evaluate
and improve
decontamination and
disposal techniques for contaminated materials and equipment
Establish contingency planning and infrastructure backup
procedures
Improve methods for assessing risks to the public from water
contamination
Enhance risk communication and information sharing among
individuals and organizations dealing with a threat or attack
Provide training and exercises that enhance preparedness,
response, and mitigation to water system threats or attacks
Projects Underway
EPA has begun projects that address key issues contained in the
Action Plan, including the following:
State-of-the-art review of early warning systems
Tracer studies guide for use by water utilities of various sizes
Treatability guide for biological contaminants in water
State-of-the-science review of emerging detection technologies
for water contaminants
Performance review of routinely used water quality monitors
Case studies to assist in rapid access to alternative water sources
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Preliminary framework for communicating threats and attacks on
water systems
Tools to address water infrastructure interdependencies
State-of-the-science review of the impacts of biologically
produced toxins on water systems
Protocols and devices to concentrate and analyze water for
biological contaminants
Test matrix and state-of-the-knowledge technical reports on six
biological/biochemical surrogates
Preliminary treatability database for treatment technique
effectiveness in removing water contaminants
Feasibility study for warnings and alerts based on public
health surveillance reporting of disease indicators (syndromic
surveillance)
Performance verifications of monitoring, treatment, and
decontamination technologies' effectiveness
Action Plan Products
The challenges facing
EPA in securing water
infrastructure are
interdependent and
complex. The goal of the
Action Plan is to provide
useful and timely products
to key water infrastructure
customers that help
protect drinking water
and wastewater systems.
To accomplish this goal,
EPA is partnering with
other federal agencies,
national laboratories, non-
governmental water industry
research groups, and the
private sector to build on
existing strengths, share the workload, and take advantage of related
research already underway.
An example of such partnerships is the Distribution System
Research Consortium formed by the National Homeland Security
Research Center and the Water Security Division. The consortium
is comprised of 15 federal and non-federal organizations that meet
twice a year to advance research and technical support focused on
distribution systems.
EPA's research and technical support activities will result in various
types of products, tools, and technologies made available to the water
industry, public health officials, health care providers, emergency
responders, appointed and elected officials, and others to aid in the
fight against terrorism.
stomer Prodi
Computerized data compendiums
Response guides and protocols
Technical resource documents, case studies, and model
procedures
Laboratory methods and protocols
Communication tools and frameworks
Technology screening, evaluation, and verification
Workshops and training
Computerized tools and software systems
Risk assessment methods and procedures
Journal articles, fact sheets, and technical bulletins
Information Sharing
Work in progress is shared with key water security stakeholders and
the public in open forums such as journals, Web sites, and meetings.
If the information is sensitive, it is provided using more limited
venues such as the WaterlSAC. EPA information clearinghouses,
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booths at conferences and workshops, and announcements and press
releases are used to deliver Action Plan results as well.
Water industry representatives
State, regional, and local response organizations
Public health officials and organizations
Federal agencies and departments
Laboratories with water sample testing capabilities
Academia and consulting firms
Elected officials and the public
A listing of all publicly available interim research products are
available on NHSRC's Web site at: www.epa.gov/nhsrc. An Internet-
based catalog with publicly available products from both WSD and
NHSRC is located on the WSD Web site at:
www.epa.gov/watersecurity.
Conclusion
As the federal lead for water infrastructure security, EPA draws
upon its long history of environmental protection to develop new
tools and technologies that address potential attacks on drinking
water and wastewater systems. The critical research described
in the Water Security Research and Technical Support Action Plan
is improving awareness, preparedness, prevention, response, and
recovery from threats or attacks against water systems.
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The Water Security Research
and Technical Support Action
Plan (shown above) is
available for downloading at
www.epa.gov/nhsrc and
www.epa.gov/watersecurity
Additional information may be obtained through the
National Homeland Security Research Center's Web site:
www.epa.gov/nhsrc
and the
Water Security Division's Web site:
www.epa.gov/watersecurity
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