A Water Security Handbook:
Planning for and Responding to
Drinking Water Contamination
Threats and Incidents
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Printed on Recycled Paper
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Note to Readers: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prepared this
guide to help you enhance the security of your water system. This document does not
impose legally binding requirements on EPA, states, tribes, or the regulated community,
and it may or may not apply to a particular situation, depending on the circumstances.
EPA and state decision-makers retain the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-
case basis that may differ from this guide where appropriate. Any decisions regarding a
particular community water system should be made based on the applicable statutes and
regulations. Therefore, interested parties are free to raise questions and objections about
the appropriateness of the application of this guide to a particular situation, and EPA will
consider whether the recommendations or interpretations in this guide are appropriate in
that situation based on the law and regulations. EPA may change this guide in the future.
To determine whether EPA has revised this guide or to obtain additional copies, contact
the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or visit the EPA's Water Security
website at www.epa.gov/watersecurity.
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Table of Contents
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1st of Acronyms and Abbreviations v
verview 1
What is the Water Security Handbook? 1
Why Is This Handbook Important? 2
How Can This Handbook Help Me? 2
Who Should Read This Handbook?... ...3
1.
Water Utility Planning Guide 4
Introduction 4
Why is Water Security Planning Important? 4
What Are Contamination Threats and Contamination Incidents? 4
Should We Be Concerned About Contamination Threats and Contamination Incidents? 5
Is Intentional Contamination Possible or Probable? 6
How Serious Could Intentional Water Contamination Be? 6
What is Due Diligence? 7
How Do I Prepare For A Contamination Threat or Incident? 7
2
Contamination Threat Management Guide 10
Introduction 10
Roles and Responsibilities 11
Federal Roles: The National Response Plan (NRP) 11
Federal, State and Local Roles: The National Incident Management System (NIMS) 12
Federal, State and Local Roles: The Incident Command System (ICS) 12
Local Role: Incident Command at the Water Utility 13
Federal, State and Local Roles: Unified Command 14
Your Role and Responsibilities 15
A General Plan forThreat Response and Threat Management 18
Step 1: Decide if the Threat is 'Possible' 19
Step 2: Determine if the Threat is 'Credible' and Protect Public Health 21
Step 3: 'Confirm' the Threat 23
Step 4: Remediate the Affected Water System 24
Step 5: Recovery of the System 25
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.,/ Site Characterization and Sampling Guide 26
Introduction 26
Investigating the Site 26
Who Does the Site Characterization and Sampling? 27
Ensuring Safety and Protection for Personnel 27
What Does Site Characterization Involve? 27
Initial Hazard Assessment Before Entering the Site 28
Approaching the Site and Doing a Field Safety Screening 29
Characterizing the Site 30
Collecting Samples 31
Exiting the Site 31
4.
Analytical Guide 32
Introduction 32
What Do I Need to Know About Laboratory Analyses? 32
Safety Considerations for Water Utilities and Others 33
Types of Labs and Analyses Performed 33
Non-Utility Laboratories That Perform Chemical Analyses 34
Non-Utility Laboratories That Perform Biological Analyses 35
Obtaining High-Quality Lab Results 35
Approaches to Analytical Screening For Unknown Contaminants 36
Why Analytical Laboratories Should Plan for Threat Response 38
5
Public Health Response Guide 39
Introduction 39
Response Planning for Protection of Public Health 39
Step 1. Plan the Public Health Response Before a Threat Occurs 39
Step 2. When a Threat or Incident Occurs, Determine the Public Health Consequences ...41
Step 3. Carry Out Operational Response Actions 42
Step 4. Notify the Public 43
Step 5. Provide an Alternate Water Supply for the Short Term 44
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6,
Remediation and Recovery Guide 45
Introduction 45
Who is Responsible? 45
Remediation and Recovery 46
Step 1. Find an Alternate Water Supply for the Long Term 46
Step 2. Do a System Characterization and Feasibility Study 46
Step 3. Do a Risk Assessment 46
Step 4. Evaluate Remediation and Rehabilitation Alternatives 46
Step 5. Choose the Right Remediation Technology 47
Step 6. Design the Remediation 47
Step 7. Do the Remediation 47
Step 8. Do Post-Remediation Monitoring 47
Step 9. Communicate With the Public to Restore Confidence 47
The Final Step - Full Recovery 47
F
inal Thoughts 48
ossary of Terms 49
itional Resources 54
L
ist of Contacts for States, Commonwealths, and Territories 58
L
ist of EPA Regional Contacts 61
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List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CWC Chemical Weapons Convention
DHS U.S. Department of Homeland Security
DOE U.S. Department of Energy
EOC Emergency Operations Center
EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
ERP Emergency Response Plan
ETV Environmental Technology Verification Program
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
FOIA Freedom of Information Act
FRMAC Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center
Handbook this Water Security Handbook
HazMat Hazardous materials specialists, including specialists from government agencies and
private contractors
HHS U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
HSIN-CS Homeland Security Information Network for Critical Sectors
ICS Incident Command System
LEPC Local Emergency Planning Committee
LRN Laboratory Response Network
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
NEMI National Environmental Methods Index
NEMI-CBR National Environmental Methods Index for Chemical, Biological and Radiological
Contaminants
NHSRC National Homeland Security Research Center
NIC National Incident Management System (NIMS) Integration Center
NIH National Institutes of Health
NIMS National Incident Management System
NRC National Response Center
NRP National Response Plan
NRT National Response Team
QA/QC Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Toolbox Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning For and Responding to Drinking Water Contamination
Threats and Incidents
TSWG Technical Support Working Group
TTEP Technology Testing and Evaluation Program
USAMRIID U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases
USCG United States Coast Guard
WaterlSAC Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center
WaterSC Water Security Channel
WCIT Water Contaminant Information Tool
WMD Weapons of Mass Destruction
WUERM Water Utility Emergency Response Manager
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Overview
What is the Water Security Handbook?
As a water utility manager, your role in
water security planning and threat response
is critically important. This Water Security
Handbook was developed by the U.S. EPA to
help you, the water utility official, protect your
water system and respond effectively to threats
and contamination incidents involving your
water system.
EPA also wrote this Handbook in response
to calls for a short, simplified document that
summarizes the comprehensive document
entitled Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning For
and Responding to Drinking Water Contamination
Threats and Incidents (also known as the Response
Protocol Toolbox).
The Handbook is also intended to be a
companion to EPA's Response Protocol Toolbox:
Planning For and Responding to Drinking Water
Contamination Threats and Incidents: Response
Guidelines. The Response Guidelines provides
many forms and checklists to help you organize
and carry out your emergency response and
planning efforts. This Handbook describes the
basic concepts and procedures involved in water
security planning and threat response. Together,
the Handbook and Response Guidelines provide
succinct recommendations concerning water
security planning and response actions.
While the Response Protocol Toolbox is aimed at
all utilities, agencies and other organizations that
may be involved in responding to drinking water
threats and incidents, this Handbook is aimed
primarily at water utility managers and staff.
This Handbook should help you to:
Understand the "basics" of responding to
contamination threats and incidents;
Plan for responding to water contamination
threats and contamination incidents;
Learn about key concepts of water security
covered in the Response Protocol Toolbox; and
Learn how to use the Response Protocol
Toolbox, the Response Guidelines, and other
available tools to help you provide water
security.
You can use this Handbook as a guide to the Response Protocol Toolbox, because chapters
in this Handbook correspond to modules in the Toolbox:
Handbook
Chapter
1
2
3
4
5
6
Toolbox
Module
Water Utility Planning Guide
Contamination Threat Management Guide
Site Characterization and Sampling Guide
Analytical Guide
Public Health Response Guide
Rasponse Protocol Toolbox
Planning for and Responding to
Drinking Water Cc**1afnmauon
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Why Is This Handbook Important? How Can This Handbook Help Me?
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Contamination of a drinking water system
can cause illness, disease, or even death. A
water system can be contaminated, damaged
or disrupted through intentional terrorist or
criminal actions or by an accident. Intentional
contamination poses one of the most serious
threats to a water system because of the intent
to harm human health or cause damage. When
a contamination threat is received or a
contamination incident happens, it is critical
that you act quickly and effectively to protect
public health and the environment.
This Handbook should help you to develop
your own utility's plan for quickly and
effectively responding to contamination threats
or contamination incidents, even in situations
where information may be limited.
This Handbook should help you in the following
ways:
Help you to plan for unforeseen emergencies
involving your water system;
Help you to review and improve your water
utility's Emergency Response Plan (ERP) on
an ongoing basis to address contamination
threats and intentional incidents. Federal
law required that drinking water systems
serving more than 3,300 customers develop
an ERP (see the "Public Health Security and
Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act
of 2002", also known as the Bioterrorism
Act of 2002). Although the deadlines for
certifying ERPs for approval have passed,
all utilities should continue to review and
improve their plans as their water system
infrastructure, staff, technology and
capabilities change.
Provide pointers on how to respond to
contamination threats and incidents; and
Introduces and summarizes the more
comprehensive Response Protocol Toolbox.
Please note that this Handbook provides
general advice and general procedures for
responding to a water system contamination
threat or contamination incident. Because
every water system and incident will be
different, it would be impossible to develop a
one-size-fits-all emergency response template.
The steps described in this Handbook are
recommendations, not rules.
Although this Handbook is not a regulatory
document nor is it a template for an Emergency
Response Plan, it can help you to review,
update and implement your own ERP, because
it describes the planning you would do to
create such a plan. For example, in your ERP,
you should provide answers to the following
questions:
2
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Emergency Response Plans (ERPs):
For more information on ERPs, see EPA's
document entitled Emergency Response Plan
Guidance for Small and Medium Systems
to Comply with the Public Health Security
and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response
Act of 2002, the Emergency Response
Plan Outline, and other emergency
response planning documents. These
documents can be downloaded from
EPA's water security website at www.epa.
gov/watersecurity. You may also obtain a
copy by calling EPA's Safe Drinking Water
Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or by sending
a request to the Hotline via e-mail at www.
epa.gov/safewater/hotline.
Who will respond?
What level of personal protection do
responders need in order to protect their
health and safety?
Who can I call for help and advice?
When and where should samples be
collected?
Who will collect samples?
Who will analyze water samples to identify
the contaminant(s)?
Who will make public health decisions?
Who will manage remediation and recovery
activities?
Addressing these kinds of questions should help
you to update your own ERP for responding
to a water contamination threat or incident.
Utilities may also want to share their ERPs with
local response partners in order to improve
coordination when an incident or emergency
actually occurs.
Who Should Read This Handbook?
This Handbook was written for water system
owners and managers, water utility emergency
response managers (WUERMs), and utility staff
who maintain public and private drinking water
systems, regardless of their size. In addition, anyone
who may be involved in an emergency response
concerning drinking water, such as public health
officials, emergency responders, law enforcement
officials, environmental protection officials and other
government officials should read this Handbook.
Utility managers in the wastewater sector may find
this Handbook useful because it describes a general
process for threat and incident response.
In the next chapter, water security planning is
discussed.
Where To Get More Information:
ftffiA
Response Protocol Toolbox:
. Planning for and Responding to
Drinking. Water Cortamnaaon
For more information
on a specific topic,
please refer to the
full Response Protocol
Toolbox. You can
download the
entire Toolbox, this
Handbook, the
Response Guidelines,
and other water
security documents
from the EPA Water Security website at www.
epa.gov/watersecurity. This frequently updated
website also contains other useful information
on water security planning, requirements and
training opportunities. You can also request a
copy of these documents by calling EPA's Safe
Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or
by sending a request to the Hotline via e-mail
at www.epa.gov/safewater/hotline. Finally, the
section on "Additional Resources" at the end
of this Handbook describes many useful water
security resources.
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Water Utility Planning Guide
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Introduction
This chapter discusses why you, as a water
utility manager or officer, should know
about water security planning for effective
response to contamination threats and incidents.
This chapter also defines water contamination
threats and incidents and describes how
water security planning is done. Chapter
1 corresponds to Module 1 of the Response
Protocol Toolbox. See EPA's Water Security
website at www.epa.gov/watersecurity for more
information.
The first water security planning step is to
designate an individual to be the lead emergency
response manager for your utility, as well as an
alternate. At a small utility, you may be this
individual. The second step is to plan your
utility's response to a contamination threat
or contamination incident. In responding,
you should decide if the threat or incident
is 'possible', 'credible', or 'confirmed'. If
the threat is 'confirmed', then it becomes a
contamination incident, requiring remediation
(cleanup). Following successful remediation,
the system is returned to normal safe operations
(recovery).
Why is Water Security Planning
Important?
Water security planning is critical because of
the increased threat of terrorism and other
intentional attacks since 9/11. There are
many ways in which water systems can be
threatened by contamination or be intentionally
contaminated. Responding to contamination
threats and contamination incidents requires
careful planning and preparation.
What Are Contamination Threats
and Contamination Incidents?
There are two kinds of water contamination
problems that you may have to deal
with: contamination threats and actual
contamination incidents.
A contamination threat is a suggestion
or an indication that water has been or
will be contaminated, but no conclusive
proof has been collected yet to confirm that
contamination has actually occurred. A
threat may be written, verbal, or based on
observations or other evidence.
Here are some examples of contamination
threats:
1) A suspicious empty container with an
unknown residue is left next to a reservoir. This
is a contamination threat. In this case, there is
physical evidence that suggests something has
potentially been added to the water supply, but
contamination has not yet been 'confirmed'
through testing or other conclusive evidence.
2) Someone phones to say that they observed
someone adding something to the water
reservoir. As before, you have become aware of
a threat and there is not yet any proof that the
contamination has actually occurred.
A contamination incident has occurred if you
analyze water from the reservoir, distribution
system or another part of your water system and
find that the water contains levels of a harmful
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contaminant above baseline or background
levels. This is no longer a contamination threat,
but an actual contamination incident. In
short, a contamination threat has not yet been
proven (or 'confirmed'), while a contamination
incident has already occurred. Be alert to
the possibility that field or lab testing may
not be comprehensive enough to detect the
contaminant that may be present; for example,
a Microtoxฎ analysis should tell you whether
or not there is a toxin present, but it does not
measure radioactive materials or metals.
A drinking water contamination incident
occurs when the presence of a harmful
contaminant has been 'confirmed'; that is,
verified.
To protect your water system, you should
be ready to respond to both contamination
threats and contamination incidents. You
might not know whether a threat constitutes
a contamination incident until you get more
information. However, if you ignore a threat
and it turns out to be a contamination incident,
public health and/or the water system might be
harmed. You should always investigate a threat
and determine whether or not a contamination
incident has occurred.
Should We Be Concerned About
Contamination Threats and
Contamination Incidents?
Contamination threats and contamination
incidents could impact the public in the
following ways:
Cause harm to public health (illness, disease,
or death);
Cause fear or loss of public confidence;
Disrupt the water system or cause long-term
shortage of clean, safe water to customers
or prevent use of the water supply for fire
fighting;
Disrupt businesses and services that depend
on a safe water supply;
Cause damage to the water system
infrastructure (e.g., water plant, pumps,
pipes, wells, treatment system, distribution
system, electrical system or computer
network) resulting in contamination or
interference with treatment or delivery;
Create a need to remediate and replace
portions of the water system to make it safe,
which could in turn create water shortages or
outages;
Result in significant costs for remediation or
replacement; and
Impact other critical infrastructures that
rely on safe water, due to interdependencies
(e.g., food processing and refineries, among
others).
Since any one of these impacts could have
serious consequences, you should be concerned
about contamination threats and incidents.
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less harmful chemicals. Other contaminants
could cause death or illness in people who are
especially at risk, such as children, the elderly,
those who are already ill due to other causes or
others who are particularly sensitive. There are
hundreds of contaminants that could disrupt
normal operations and cause the public to lose
confidence in the water system, but which
would not cause illness or death.
What is Due Diligence?
How will you know when you have done enough
to evaluate and respond to a contamination
threat or incident? This is where due diligence
comes in. Due diligence involves a careful
evaluation of any contamination threat and an
appropriate response based on the evaluation.
The response flow chart on the back cover of
this Handbook shows what steps to take when
a threat or incident occurs. Carrying out each
of these steps in a responsible, careful, efficient
and timely manner should help to ensure due
diligence.
Due diligence should be determined locally, and
local authorities should decide what level of risk
is reasonable in a threat situation. If the threat
is 'possible', appropriate responses to a threat
could include immediate operational response
actions and site characterization. If the threat is
'credible', more significant response actions may
be needed, such as restrictions on water use. For
a 'confirmed' incident, authorities may be faced
with a potential public health crisis, and response
actions should include all steps necessary to
protect public health, supply an alternate source
of drinking water, and begin remediation of the
system.
Due diligence means that you have done
everything suitable, sensible and responsible
to evaluate a contamination threat or incident
and respond appropriately.
It is up to you and your response partners to
decide when due diligence has been exercised,
because response capabilities vary. As part of this
decision, you should decide how much risk is
acceptable. You may also want to ask for help in
responding to a threat. Keep in mind, however,
that over-responding to a threat may cause
problems too, especially if it is a false alarm.
How Do I Prepare For A
Contamination Threat or Incident?
You can prepare for contamination threats and
incidents by taking these steps:
Q Develop your own guidelines for dealing
with intentional contamination at your
utility. Make these guidelines easy to use.
Emphasize action items. Know your roles
and responsibilities. Include all necessary
forms and checklists, as well as contact
information for important people. Be sure
to keep this information up-to-date. The
Response Guidelines provide short summaries
of specific responses that can be taken to
specific threats.
Q Set up your Incident Command structure
ahead of time so everyone knows who will
be in charge during an emergency and
everyone knows what to do. Again, know
your roles and responsibilities in advance.
The structure should be based on the
Incident Command System (ICS), which is
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used throughout the nation for responding
to natural disasters or emergencies. See
Chapter 2 for further discussion of ICS.
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Q Information on drinking water protection
from services such as WaterlSAC, WaterSC,
InfraGard, and from other utilities and
agencies can help you to prepare for a
contamination threat or incident. See the
section on "Additional Resources" at the end
of this Handbook.
Q Seek out support and training by contacting
your state drinking water primacy agency
and technical assistance providers (e.g., state
rural water association).
The next chapter describes a general game plan
for managing the response to a contamination
threat or intentional incident.
The diagram below shows the intended audience for each module of the Toolbox.
Enviro. Chemistry
Lab
Develop analytical approach
for unknown chemicals in
water using Modules 1 and 4
Small Utility
Update ERP using
Module 1
^^
Law Enforcement
Review Modules 1 and 2 to
appreciate public health
mission of water systems.
First Responders
Integrate sampling & screening
procedures for water (Modules
1-3) into existing protocols.
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Large Utility
Develop comprehensive plan
for contamination threats using
Modules 1-6
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Response
Protocol
\J Toolbox
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i N Statp Watpr Pronram
Develop comprehensive
response plan using
Modules i -D
Public Health Agency
Review Modules 2 and 5
~~ to understand public health
response options available
to a utility.
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Contamination Threat Management Guide
Introduction
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If a contamination threat or incident occurs,
you should act quickly to protect public
health and limit the spread of the contaminant,
based on the best information you have at the
time. You should also avoid over-reaction or
false alarms that might inconvenience your
customers and harm your credibility. You
may not have all the information needed
to determine whether the water has been
contaminated or not, because this may require
water testing, which takes time. As new
information becomes available, however, you
might change the way in which you are dealing
with the threat or incident.
In this chapter, you will learn about a general,
yet systematic approach for evaluating
contamination threats and managing the
overall response to a contamination threat
or incident. You will learn how to manage a
threat response in a timely manner to protect
public health, using due diligence. For effective
contamination threat management, this
systematic approach or general game plan for
threat response is perhaps the most important
planning tool covered in this Handbook.
Chapter 2 covers the following topics:
Roles and responsibilities;
A general plan for responding to
contamination threats and incidents;
How to evaluate a water contamination
threat;
How to make the right decisions and when;
Types of information needed to evaluate
threats;
Response actions to protect public health;
and
Exercising care in response actions.
Chapter 2 summarizes Module 2 of the
Toolbox, which can be obtained at EPA's Water
Security website at www.epa.gov/watersecurity.
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Roles and Responsibilities
The vast majority of threats and incidents will
likely be handled by individual utilities working
together with their local responder network.
Some incidents may be elevated to the federal
level, especially incidents involving terrorism
or an incident of national significance, such as
a severe hurricane. This section of Chapter 2
briefly outlines roles and responsibilities from the
federal level down to the utility level.
Federal Roles:
The National Response Plan (NRP)
The National Response Plan, or NRP,
establishes a comprehensive all-hazards
approach to manage domestic incidents. The
NRP brings together individual federal agency
response plans, the Concept of Operations
Plan, the Federal Response Plan and the Federal
Radiological Emergency Response Plan into a
single, comprehensive approach.
The NRP includes the best practices and
procedures from several incident management
disciplines (e.g., homeland security, emergency
management, law enforcement, fire fighting,
public works, public health, responder and
recovery worker health and safety, emergency
medical services, and the private sector) and
combines them into one. The NRP outlines
how federal departments and agencies should
work together and how the federal government
should coordinate with state, local, and tribal
governments and the private sector during
incidents.
As an example, the NRP designates the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) as the lead federal agency in response
to a disease outbreak (which could be the
result of intentional water contamination)
requiring federal assistance. The NRP
recognizes, however, that state, local, and tribal
governments are primarily responsible for
detecting and responding to disease outbreaks
and implementing measures to minimize the
health, social and economic consequences of
such an outbreak. Coordination between HHS
and local authorities would occur as necessary
to determine current medical and public health
assistance requirements.
EPA supports HHS by providing technical and
policy assistance in matters involving drinking
water supplies. To learn more about the NRP,
visit the Department of Homeland Security
website at www.dhs.gov.
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Federal, State and Local Roles:
The National Incident Management System
(NIMS)
During an incident, the National Incident
Management System, or NIMS, further defines
roles and responsibilities. NIMS has established
standardized incident management processes,
protocols, and procedures that all responders
(federal, state, tribal, and local) should use to
coordinate and conduct response actions. The
use of standardized procedures should enable
you and other responders to
focus on incident management
when a water security incident
occurs. These standardized
procedures apply whether the
incident is related to terrorism,
an accident or a natural
disaster.
NIMS is maintained by the
NIMS Integration Center
(NIC) that, under the direction
of DHS, provides strategic direction and
oversight for NIMS. One function of the NIC
is to help establish general training requirements
and to develop national-level training standards
and course materials associated with NIMS.
The overwhelming majority of emergency
incidents will be handled on a daily basis by a
single jurisdiction at the local level. However,
there will be some instances, such as terrorist
attacks, accidents or nationally significant
natural disasters, in which successful incident
management requires the involvement
of emergency responders from multiple
jurisdictions, as well as personnel and equipment
from other states and the federal government.
These instances require effective and efficient
coordination across many organizations
and activities. The Incident Command
System (ICS), as described below, provides
the management framework to achieve this
coordination.
To ensure further coordination during incidents
involving multiple jurisdictions or agencies, the
principle of Unified Command (defined below)
has also been incorporated into NIMS via the
ICS.
To learn more about NIMS and training
opportunities, visit the FEMA website at www.
fema.gov/nims/.
Federal, State and
Local Roles:
The Incident Command System
(ICS)
Under NIMS, the Incident
Command System (ICS)
is the national standard for
the command, control, and
coordination of a response. The
flexible nature of the ICS structure allows for
the numbers and types of people on the response
team to change over time as the need for
resources and skills changes.
The ICS organization can expand or contract to
address a particular incident, but all incidents,
regardless of their size or complexity, will
initially have a single Incident Commander.
The Incident Commander is the individual
responsible for managing the overall response
to the crisis. The Incident Commander
frequently oversees a group of people, often
from his or her own organization as well as other
agencies or organizations, who are responsible
for responding with due diligence to the
contamination threat or incident.
To learn more about NIMS and ICS training
opportunities, visit the FEMA website at www.
fema.gov/nims/.
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scene.
Local Role:
Incident Command at the Water Utility
If a threat or incident is discovered first by
water utility personnel, you or an appropriate
designated person should be the Incident
Commander, at least initially. As additional
responders arrive in response to your
notifications, command may transfer to an
agency that has primary authority for overall
control of the threat or incident or to a more
senior or better qualified first responder. At
the transfer of command, you should give the
incoming Incident Commander a full briefing
and notify all staff of the change in command.
Organizations that may provide an Incident
Commander include:
Water Utility: Every water system should
designate a lead emergency response coordinator
and an alternate. This point person can be
known as the Water Utility Emergency
Response Manager (WUERM) or by some
other title as defined by the utility. This
individual (which may be you) is responsible
for managing the water utility's internal
emergency response procedures and may
initially be responsible for Incident Command.
How does the ICS organization grow or shrink to fit the incident?
The Incident Commander has overall control over the incident. In a small
incident, he or she may be the only person needed to manage an incident.
In larger or more complex incidents, the Incident Commander may assign
other members of the Command Staff, including a Public Information
Officer (vital in assuring that an accurate, consistent message is given to the
public), a Safety Officer (responsible for the safety of incident personnel
and operations) and/or a Liaison Officer (who coordinates between
incident command and the various response agencies). The Incident
Commander also may assign General Staff, who serve as Section Chiefs
for the Operations, Planning, Logistics and Finance/Administration
Sections. The Section Chiefs have the authority to expand or contract
their sections as the resource (people and equipment)
demands of the incident increase or decrease.
Drinking Water Primacy Agency: If the utility
does not have all the resources needed to manage
the threat, the drinking water primacy agency
may take the lead after being notified by the
water utility. The roles of the utility and the
drinking water primacy agency should be defined
during the planning stage.
Public Health Agency (state or local): This
agency may take the lead in Incident Command
if there is a public health crisis and no criminal
act is involved or at least not initially suspected.
Local Law Enforcement: May take on Incident
Command if the site of an incident is a crime
HazMatl'Fire Department: If the incident
involves a hazardous material or spill, an
individual from one of these organizations may
assume Incident Command.
FBI: The FBI may assume Incident Command
if the FBI determines that a federal crime (e.g.,
terrorism or an incident crossing state lines) has
been committed.
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Federal, State and Local Roles:
Unified Command
In most cases, more than one organization or
agency has jurisdiction or statutory authority
in managing a response, and a Unified
Command may be established. Unified
Command is a team effort that allows all
agencies with responsibility for the incident,
either geographic or functional, to manage an
incident together by establishing a common
set of incident goals and strategies. Unified
Command not only coordinates the efforts of
many jurisdictions, but provides for and ensures
joint decisions on plans, priorities and public
communications. Unified Command does not
have a single Incident Commander; instead,
representatives from several responding agencies
contribute to the command process. Unified
Command does not mean losing or giving
up any of your individual agency's authority,
responsibility, or accountability.
Free Online Training in NIMS, NRP and ICS:
1
FEMA offers free online training courses to help you become familiar with NIMS, the NRP,
ICS, and the duties of being an Incident Commander. Examples of courses include:
National Incident Management System: NIMS is now the nationwide standard for incident
management, and NIMS certification (by September 30, 2006) is required in order to be eligible
for federal preparedness grants. FEMA's online courses include IS-700 National Incident
Management System and others.
National Response Plan: The NRP is based on NIMS; together, they provide a template
for effective threat prevention and response. FEMA's online courses include IS-800 National
Response Plan and others.
Incident Command System: Use of ICS is recommended under NIMS. FEMA's online
courses on ICS include IS-100 (Introduction to the Incident Command System), and IS-200
(Basic Incident Command System). There is also IS-100.PW (Introduction to the Incident
Command System for Public Works).
To enroll in these courses, visit FEMA's website at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS.
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Your Role and Responsibilities
As the utility emergency response manager or
utility manager, you should make decisions
and carry out your utility's pre-existing plans
for responding to an incident. Depending on
the situation, you may also assume the role
of Incident Commander. As each incident is
unique, your role in the ICS may change. In one
incident, you may provide information to the
Incident Commander from another agency to
carry out a response. In another incident, your
input may be included as part of the Unified
Command decision-making process.
Unified Command is
established with
several agencies
YOU
An individual from
another agency
becomes 1C
You become
Incident
Commander
(1C)
Figure 1 shows how your role may change
at various stages during an incident. At the
'possible' threat stage, you will most likely be the
Incident Commander. At the 'credible' threat
stage, the figure shows that Incident Command
will be dictated by the situation and that
command may shift as more becomes known
about the situation. It is highly likely that any
'confirmed' contamination threat (especially
if terrorism related) will be managed by a
Unified Command, and you may be in Unified
Command or in a supporting role.
The textbox on the following two pages
provides an example that shows how your role
may change throughout the process of threat
evaluation and response.
General
Staff
Unified
Command
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You remain
the 1C
Figure 1. How Your Role May Change
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Example of How Your Role May Change
During Threat Evaluation and Response:
You have just received a phone call from
an unknown individual claiming to have
contaminated one of your water tanks. Once
you decide that this threat is 'possible' based
on the details of the threat warning and your
knowledge of the water tank in question, you
should next determine if the threat is 'credible'.
You may also consider initiating operational
response actions, such as isolating the suspect
water tank, if feasible. You may wish to
consult with outside resources, such as your
state primacy agency or police, to help you
determine if the threat is 'credible'.
Next, you or one of your staff and another
employee may drive to the water tank to begin
an initial site characterization to see if there
is anything unusual (see Figure 2 on page 18
describing threat evaluation and response).
Other employees may be sent to collect water
samples from the distribution system. On
arrival at the water tank, you discover that the
fence is cut, ripped-open bags with a white
powdery residue are scattered about, protective
suits and latex gloves are piled in a heap, and the
tank hatch is open.
Recognizing that this is potentially a crime
scene and not knowing how dangerous the
powder is, you may decide to call the police
to the scene of what now appears to be a
'credible' threat. Once the police arrive,
you may decide to relinquish incident
command to the responding law enforcement
officer, who is probably better qualified to
address the potential criminal and HazMat
issues. However, you should assist law
enforcement officials in the ensuing response
and investigation. You should also continue
to direct your own staff within your utility's
internal ICS structure.
As the situation unfolds, you might receive a
call from the local public health agency, which
informs you that people in the area of the
water tank are reporting to the local hospital
complaining of similar illness symptoms. You
should instruct the public health agency to
notify the Incident Commander via the Liaison
Officer.
Meanwhile, the Incident Commander has
already called the National Response Center, a
single point of contact for all pollution incident
reporting, and a regional HazMat team to do a
more intensive site characterization that includes
rapid field screening of the white powder.
Preliminary indications are that the powder is
some form of poison. Although you or Incident
Command do not yet have any lab results from
water samples to 'confirm' that this potential
poison is in the water, the Incident Commander
decides that a preponderance of evidence now
exists to determine that the threat is 'credible'.
At this point, having determined that the threat is
'credible', the Incident Commander notifies the
public, through the Public Information Officer,
that they should not drink the water. The
Incident Commander also informs the public of
what is being done to provide an alternate supply
of safe drinking water. He or she may also notify
the FBI and activate the Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) to support the response.
What is an Emergency Operations Center?
The Emergency Operations Center, or
EOC, is a pre-designated facility established
by an agency or jurisdiction to coordinate the
overall agency or jurisdictional response to an
emergency. It is not a part of on-scene incident
management, but rather supports the on-scene
Incident Commander or Unified Command by
arranging for needed resources.
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By now, many more agencies have been
notified by the Incident Commander or
the EOC, and a Unified Command may
be formed to lead the response. In this
situation, Unified Command may have
members from the police, FBI, HazMat,
state, EPA and other agencies having
jurisdiction over the incident. At this
point, you may report to the EOC to
assist in their response efforts. However,
someone should be designated as the
utility's internal Incident Commander,
who will undertake operational
responses at your utility in support of
Unified Command.
In this example, Unified Command
will continue to work with appropriate
laboratories, including laboratories only
accessible by federal agencies such as the
FBI, to 'confirm' the contamination
incident. Once the white powder has
been positively identified and detected
in the water system and the threat
or incident has been 'confirmed',
Unified Command will update or revise
their public notifications. Unified
Command will most likely direct you to
undertake appropriate operational and
remediation and recovery activities at
your utility.
Even if the contaminant is never
positively identified in the water,
Unified Command, in consultation
with public health, may still determine
that the contaminant was introduced
into the water system, based on a
preponderance of evidence.
Tip: Your local emergency plans may
differ from the example presented here.
This is why it is very important for you
to talk with other first responders in your
area so that you will understand where you
"fit in" in various emergency scenarios.
Keep in mind that ICS is a flexible system and
will be uniquely established by the Incident
Commander (which may be you or someone
from another agency) or Unified Command
for each incident. The example given above is
only one of the many ways in which ICS may
be used to effectively manage a water supply
incident. Your local and state policies and
procedures may require different actions than
those described in the example given above.
This is why it is important for you to include
your local first responders, local emergency
planning committee (LEPC), public health
and state primacy agencies in your emergency
response planning efforts.
Remember: Regardless of the organization
responsible for incident command, the
utility has an ongoing responsibility to
serve as a technical advisor to the Incident
Commander or Unified Command for
issues related to the operation of the water
system and ensuring water quality.
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A General Plan for Threat Response and Threat Management
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The goals of threat response and threat
management are to: 1) evaluate the threat,
2) take necessary steps to protect public
health while the threat is being evaluated,
3) 'confirm' the threat, 4) remediate the
water system if necessary, and 5) return the
system to safe, normal operation as soon as
possible.
To achieve these goals, the response to a
contamination threat or incident should
be efficiently managed. Threat response
and management involves a number of
steps, actions and decision points. The
most important lesson of this chapter
is to understand these key elements
and how to proceed from one decision
point to the next to achieve these goals.
The key elements of threat response are
summarized below and in Figure 2, with
key terms in bold:
Step 1. Decide if a threat is 'possible',
take appropriate preliminary response
actions to protect public health, and
proceed to Step 2.
Step 2. Determine if a 'possible' threat
is 'credible' through consultation with
other utilities, the drinking water primacy
agency, public health and other agencies. If it
is 'credible', notify the necessary agencies and
the public, take appropriate response actions to
further protect public health, and proceed to
Step 3.
Step 3. 'Confirm' a 'credible' threat (which
results in a 'confirmed' contamination incident),
take appropriate public health and other
response actions, and proceed to Step 4.
Step 4. Remediate the water system; and
Module 2
Contamination Threat Management Decision Tree
Review existing information
investigation, return\
rmal operation, and 1
ument the threat. /
Revise operational response and
notifications as necessary
Develop remediation
and recovery plan
Revise sampling and
analysis plans
Figure 2. Process of Threat Evaluation and
Response
Step 5. Return the water system to normal, safe
operation (recovery).
Each of these steps is described in more detail
below and in Module 2 of the Toolbox.
Please note that your responsibility, as the
water utility manager (or emergency response
manager), is to operate and maintain a safe
water system, ensure a safe water supply
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and provide public notification regarding
impaired drinking water quality. In a threat
situation or contamination incident, a different
Incident Commander or Unified Command
structure may be in charge of Steps 2 through
5, as explained previously. You can serve an
important role by providing technical advice on
your water system to the Incident Commander
or Unified Command.
A detailed Decision Tree for responding to a
contamination threat or incident is available
in Module 2 of the Response Protocol Toolbox.
Step 1: Decide if the Threat is 'Possible'
After receiving a threat, the first step is to
decide if the threat is 'possible'. This is the first
decision-point and the lowest threat level.
A water contamination threat is 'possible' if
the circumstances suggest that contamination
could have occurred. If the threat is found to
be impossible, then the investigation is closed,
the incident is documented, and operations
are returned to normal. However, if the
contamination threat is 'possible', then further
investigation is needed. It is likely that most
contamination threats will be classified as
'possible'.
To decide whether a threat is 'possible' or not,
you need reliable information in the one hour
you have to make a decision. Often, the threat
warning itself can provide much information.
If the threat warning is 'possible', then go on
to Step 2 (see below). However, if the threat
warning is not believable because it comes from
an unreliable source or the situation does not
lend itself to such contamination, you may
decide that contamination is not 'possible'. If
the threat warning is not 'possible', then your
response actions are to note the incident and
the reasons for the decision to return to normal
operations.
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How much time do I have to decide if a threat is
'possible' or not?
Speed is critical for protecting public health. Once a threat
warning is received, you should act with due diligence
to manage the threat. You should decide quickly if a
contamination threat is 'possible' within one (1) hour from
the time you receive the threat warning. You may have to
make a decision based on the limited information available at
the time.
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A threat warning is an indication that something may be
wrong. Examples of different threat warnings that may be
classified as 'possible' are:
Security breach - evidence of an unauthorized entry into a
secured facility, such as an alarm, cut fence, etc.
Witness account - someone directly witnesses suspicious
activity and notifies the utility.
Direct notification by perpetrator - the perpetrator sends a
verbal or written threat to the utility.
Notification by news media - a threat is sent to the media,
or the media may learn of a threat and pass it on to the
utility.
Notification by law enforcement - a law enforcement
agency may pass along information about a threat to a utility.
Unusual water quality - on-line monitoring, grab sampling
or an early warning system indicate unusual water quality
results.
Consumer complaints - an unusual or unexplained increase
in consumer complaints may indicate contamination.
Notification by public health agencies - health agencies
or health care providers observe increased illness, disease or
death rates, which may indicate a contaminated water supply.
Remember:
Use due diligence at all times.
Encourage staff to immediately
report any and all threat warnings
to you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year.
Within one (1) hour of receiving
the threat warning, you should
decide whether the incident is
'possible' or not.
Practice notification and reporting
procedures ahead of time to be
prepared for a real emergency.
Most threats will end up being
'possible', unless you are able to
absolutely rule out the possibility
of contamination.
Who Do I Notify
Once A Threat is
'Possible'?
Once you decide that
a threat is 'possible',
you should notify other
utility staff. You may
also want to consult
with or notify your
local law enforcement
agency and drinking
water primacy agency,
depending on the nature
of the threat. Be aware
of your state's reporting
requirements.
Notification
by Law
Enforcement
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Step 2: Determine if the Threat is 'Credible'
and Protect Public Health
Once you have decided that the threat is
'possible', you should immediately do two
things:
Determine if the threat is 'credible' or not;
and if it is 'credible', then
Protect public health through operational
responses.
These two actions should be carried out
together, because your first and highest priority
is to protect public health, so you should move
quickly to determine if the threat is 'credible' or
not.
The word 'credible' means believable, plausible
or reliable. A contamination threat is 'credible'
if the threat is both 'possible' and other reliable
information shows that there is reason to
believe that the threat warning is real and that
contamination is likely. A 'credible' threat is
a much higher threat level than a 'possible'
threat.
How much time do I have to decide if a
threat is 'credible' or not?
As a general rule, once you have decided
that the threat is 'possible', you should
determine within 2 to 8 hours whether
the threat is also 'credible', based on site
information, the nature of the threat,
the circumstances and other reliable
information.
It is crucial to make this assessment quickly,
because if the threat does turn out to be
'credible', public health and safety are at stake.
Here are some actions you can take to determine
if a threat is 'credible' or not:
1) Conduct a site characterization by
collecting more information about the
site of the 'possible' contamination to
help decide if the 'possible' threat is
also a 'credible' threat. This step should
probably involve sample collection to find
out if contaminants are present and to
help 'confirm' the threat. Proper sample
collection should help to ensure that
lab analyses provide useable data. Law
enforcement agencies may be investigating
the site as well, and you should assist them
in protecting a crime scene. See Chapter 3
of this Handbook to learn more about site
characterization.
2) Check to see if there have been previous
security incidents similar to the current
'possible' threat, including previous
incidents at your utility and/or elsewhere.
3) Consult early with other agencies and
organizations to get information to help
you evaluate the threat. Some useful
sources of information are listed below
(Note that not all of these may be relevant,
depending on your locality and the threat
or incident under investigation):
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Your state drinking water primacy agency;
EPA Regional Office;
The National Response Center;
Law enforcement agencies and your regional
FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force;
Neighboring utilities;
Public health agencies (local, state, and
federal - the latter includes the CDC,
ATSDR, and NIH);
9 1 1 call centers;
Homeland Security Warnings and Alerts (see
the DHS website at www.dhs.gov);
Water Information Sharing and Analysis
Center, or WaterlSAC, which can assist in
threat evaluation (see the WaterlSAC website
at www.waterisac.org) ;
Contaminant information from EPA's Water
Contaminant Information Tool (WCIT) at
www. epa. gov/wcit;
Use the Contamination Threat Management
Matrices (see Module 2, p.54 of the Toolbox)
and the Response Guidelines to help you
collect and organize information and
evaluate the threat; and
Other resources listed in the "Additional
Resources" section of this Handbook.
You should now decide if the threat warning is
'credible' or not. However, because of the types
of information needed, the determination of
credibility of the threat will most likely involve
more parties than your utility alone.
If the threat warning is not 'credible', then the
investigation is closed, the incident is documented
and water system operations are returned to normal.
If you determine that the threat warning is
'credible', then you should notify appropriate
agencies and the public, undertake suitable
response actions to protect public health and
'confirm' the threat (see below).
To protect public health, provide immediate
operational responses to prevent or limit public
Collecting and Organizing Information
For Threat Evaluation:
"Contamination Threat Management
Matrices"
To help you collect and organize the
information to help determine if a threat
is 'possible', 'credible', or 'confirmed',
see Module 2 of the Toolbox for the
"Contamination Threat Management
Matrices". Each matrix covers:
Information and factors considered in
assessing a threat;
Possible notifications; and
Possible response actions.
These generalized matrices can be customized
to your utility or to specific incidents.
Customized matrices can be used in your
utility's Emergency Response Plan.
Response Guidelines
The Response Guidelines is a companion to
this Handbook and contains emergency
response planning checklists, standard report
forms and other forms to help you manage
and organize your emergency response. Visit
www.epa.gov/watersecurity to download this
document.
exposure to the (potentially) contaminated
water. See Chapter 5 for examples of operational
responses that may include isolating suspect
water or increasing levels of disinfection. For a
'credible' threat warning, the public health goal
is to minimize public exposure to the suspected
contaminated water. If it is not possible to provide
an operational response that effectively reduces the
possibility that the public will be exposed to the
suspected contaminant, then you should speed up
your assessment of the credibility of the threat.
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Who Do I Notify Once the Threat is
'Credible'?
Once you decide that the threat is 'credible,'
you should report the threat to your drinking
water primacy agency, public health agencies,
law enforcement agencies and others, if you
have not done so already. They will need
some basic information, such as your name,
contact information, a description of the
threat, incident or event, and its location.
You may also need to notify the public. Be
aware of your state's reporting requirements.
Step 3. 'Confirm' the Threat
Once you decide
that a threat
warning is
'credible', you
should work with
your drinking
water primacy
agency, public
health agencies and law enforcement agencies
to 'confirm' the threat. Here are some steps in
confirming the threat:
1) Send water samples collected during
site characterization to a laboratory
for analysis and identification of
unknown or suspected contaminants
in the water. The best way to 'confirm'
contamination is to provide factual
evidence of contamination by measuring
contaminants through laboratory analyses
of water samples. Laboratory analysis
can potentially identify and/or 'confirm'
contaminants(s), although it is important
to keep in mind that not all contaminants
can be identified and/or 'confirmed' by
every laboratory (see Chapter 4 of this
Handbook). Lab data can also be useful in
planning and implementing remediation
activities (see Chapter 6). However,
if laboratory analysis of samples is not
possible for some reason, the standard for
'confirming' a 'credible' threat is that
a "preponderance of evidence exists" to
confirm an incident. A preponderance of
evidence means that most of the evidence
available points in this direction.
2) Conduct additional site characterization
and sampling if needed to 'confirm'
a contamination incident. You may
need more information after your initial
site characterization to 'confirm' the
incident. For example, your initial
site characterization and sampling may
indicate that the contaminant was
introduced somewhere outside the area
where you first sampled. (Note: If the
'credible' contamination threat cannot
be 'confirmed', then the additional site
characterization and water sampling is
done to make sure the water is safe and to
support the decision to return to normal
operations).
3) Notify law enforcement agencies in the
event that criminal activity is involved,
if you have not done so already. Law
enforcement agencies may need to collect
evidence and samples to determine whether
or not criminal activity occurred. You
should continue to
help ensure a safe
water supply and
work together with
law enforcement
agencies to obtain
evidence that
could help to
'confirm' whether
contamination
occurred or not.
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Once you have lab results and other information,
you should decide whether the threat can be
'confirmed' or not. When a threat is 'confirmed',
you should immediately notify appropriate public
health agencies (if you have not done so already).
This sets the stage for public health agencies to
make public health recommendations. Review
the public health protection measures that may
already have been provided (when the threat was
found to be 'credible'), and provide additional
protection measures if needed. You may also be
required to notify the public. See Chapter 5 of
this Handbook for more information on public
health.
Public notification may be required at any
stage of the threat evaluation process under the
National Primary Drinking Water Regulations:
Public Notification Rule, which says that
the public should be notified when there is a
"situation with significant potential to have serious
side effects on human health as a result of short term
exposure. " (see www.epa.gov/safewater/pn.html).
Public health advisories may be issued, such as:
"Boil water";
"Do not drink the water";
"Do not use water" (including no flushing of
toilets and no use of water for fire fighting).
Remember, 'confirming' a 'credible' threat
represents an important and necessary decision-
making step. Once a threat is 'confirmed'
and it becomes a contamination incident,
decisions should be made concerning public
health responses, and remediation and recovery.
Keep in mind that it may take several rounds
of information collection and evaluation to
'confirm' a threat.
If the threat cannot be 'confirmed' because
there is not enough information, the process of
Why should I 'con firm'a 'credible'
threat?
You should 'confirm' a 'credible' threat
because responding to a 'credible' threat is an
important decision that could affect public
health, affect your water system, involve
different agencies and require resources. To
'confirm' a 'credible' threat, you should be
certain, based on definitive lab results or a
"preponderance of evidence" that the threat
is plausible and believable. Once a threat is
'confirmed', it becomes a contamination
incident.
collecting information should be continued until
a preponderance of evidence indicates that the
threat either can be 'confirmed' or, alternatively,
the threat cannot be 'confirmed' because it is an
empty threat.
Step 4. Remediate the Affected Water System
In this step, the goal is to remediate the
contaminated water system to remove or
inactivate the contaminant and test the water
to make sure that the remediation has worked.
Remediation is discussed in more detail in
Chapter 6.
By this time, if the threat has been 'confirmed'
to be a contamination incident, a Unified
Command structure will probably be established
and other agencies and organizations will be
responsible for overseeing the response and
remediation. During remediation, your role
as water utility manager will most likely be to
work with the remediation team and Unified
Command to help ensure recovery of the water
system.
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Step 5. Recovery of the System
In this step, the goal is to return your water system
to safe, normal operation, which is also called
recovery. Recovery of your water system can begin
as soon as remediation is complete. If a portion
of your water system is remediated, you may be
able to resume normal operation of that portion
provided that it does not affect remediation of
other affected parts of the system. Keep in mind
that your customers may still be experiencing
residual contamination from within their home
or business plumbing. As the water system is
remediated and returned to normal, it is important
to keep your water utility customers informed.
Recovery is discussed in more detail in Chapter 6.
Now that the general process of threat response
has been described, the following chapters will
describe site characterization, sample analysis,
the public health response, and remediation and
recovery in more detail.
Remember, successful response
involves:
Planning before an incident occurs;
Responding in a timely manner and
using due diligence;
Protecting public health;
Investigating and documenting the
incident;
Identifying the contaminant;
Basing your decisions on a
"preponderance of evidence" if
sample analyses are not conclusive;
Choosing the right remediation in
collaboration with others; and
Returning the system to normal,
safe operation (recovery).
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Who Does the Site
Characterization and Sampling?
The answer to this question depends on what
stage of site characterization and sampling
you are in. You or another designated utility
emergency response lead may carry out the first
steps of site characterization and sampling. Or,
an Incident Commander from another agency
may oversee the threat response, beginning with
site characterization and sampling.
The Site Characterization Team is the group
that actually performs site characterization and
sampling activities. This team may include
people from the water utility, police and fire,
HazMat specialists, environmental response
teams from government agencies, public health
officials, FBI and EPA criminal investigators,
civil support teams and other agencies.
The Incident Commander or
the WUERM manages the site
characterization and sampling. The site
characterization team carries out the
investigation. The utility remains involved
at all times, but its role may change as a
particular investigation progresses.
Ensuring Safety and Protection for
Personnel
Protecting the safety of the Site Characterization
Team during site characterization is critical.
Team members must have the proper training,
protective gear, clothing and other equipment
needed to safely inspect and sample the site.
If there is a threat to safety, then the team
should stop until the proper gear, personnel, or
equipment can be obtained.
What Does Site Characterization
Involve?
First, the Site Characterization Team develops
and uses a customized site characterization plan
as a set of guidelines for investigating the threat.
Each threat or incident will be different, so
every site characterization plan will be different.
However, all plans will share certain features in
common. You may already have a generic site
characterization plan which should contain the
following five elements:
1) Hazard evaluation (including an initial
hazard assessment before entering the site
and ongoing reassessment of the hazard as
you collect more information);
2) Approaching the site and doing a field
safety screening;
3) Characterizing (investigating) the site;
4) Collecting samples; and
5) Leaving the site.
Each of these elements is described below.
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Initial Hazard Assessment Before
Entering the Site
The first step
in developing
a specific site
characterization
plan is to decide
if the site is safe
to enter and
investigate further.
This is done by making an initial hazard
assessment before the team is sent to the site.
You or the Incident Commander (which may be
you) should make this initial hazard assessment,
based on the available data and initial threat
evaluation. A decision is made regarding the
potential need for special hazardous material
handling techniques or equipment. This is a
very important step that protects the safety of
anyone who enters the site. People should not
be sent into a dangerous area without protection.
Response plans should document who would be
called to respond to contamination threats under
different hazard conditions.
Some possible hazard categories are described in
the textbox. Although these hazard categories
are based upon tentative identification of the
particular type of contaminant at the site,
there may be enough information in a threat
warning to allow you to judge that a particular
hazard category may apply to the situation, thus
helping you to make an initial hazard assessment.
As you get more information from the site
characterization and sampling, you may want to
revise your initial hazard assessment (and take
appropriate precautions). Hazard evaluation is
an ongoing and iterative process.
Possible hazard categories:
Low Hazard - there are no obvious
signs of radiological, chemical, or
biological contaminants at the site, in
the air, or on surfaces. Contaminants
that may be present in the water are
assumed to be dilute and confined to
the water.
Radiological Hazard - radiological
isotopes or emitters are identified at the
site or in the water (i.e., through the use
of a field radiation detector).
Chemical Hazard - presence of highly
toxic chemicals (e.g., chemical weapons
or biotoxins) or volatile toxic industrial
chemicals is potentially identified at
the site or in the water, with a possible
risk of exposure through dermal or
inhalation routes.
Biological Hazard - presence of
pathogens is potentially identified at
the site, with a possible risk of exposure
through dermal or inhalation routes.
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The initial hazard assessment is also important
for deciding who should be on the Site
Characterization Team, because the team should
have the skills, experience and equipment needed
to deal with the hazards that may exist on the
site. Some suggestions for possible staff are given
below:
If the site appears to be a "Low Hazard"
site, the water utility staff may do the site
characterization.
If there are clear signs of greater hazard
(radiological, chemical, or biological
hazard), then HazMat professionals
trained in hazardous materials safety and
handling techniques may need to do the
initial hazard assessment and the entire site
characterization as well.
The HazMat team may do the initial hazard
assessment, find that the site is safe enough
for others to enter, and allow the utility
staffer other agency staff to enter the site to
continue the site characterization.
The threat warning itself may suggest what the
hazard is. Be alert to the possibility of "red
herrings", where the threat warning suggests
one type of hazard, yet the site actually contains
a different hazard. Another example would
be misleading clues designed to confuse the
investigation. If this occurs, the contamination
threat or incident is most likely intentional.
Approaching the Site and Doing a
Field Safety Screening
In this step following the initial hazard
assessment, the Site Characterization Team
approaches the site and conducts a field safety
screening. Field safety screening is done to
observe site conditions and, in particular, to
detect any immediate threats to the response
team from contaminants in the atmosphere
or on surfaces. Field safety screening might
include field testing for radioactivity, chemical
and biological agents. The site characterization
team should already have been trained in the
use of safety screening equipment. Because
such equipment can be expensive, you may
have to call in a HazMat specialist with the
proper equipment and training to conduct such
screening. Consider due diligence in all of your
decisions and actions.
The first step in a field safety screening is to define
the perimeter of the site before approaching it.
The site perimeter should include the immediate
area of the incident as well as a buffer zone for
safety. Beginning at some distance outside the
site perimeter, the Site Characterization Team
carefully proceeds towards the site perimeter with
appropriate personal protective equipment and
field monitoring equipment and notes anything
out of the ordinary. Signs of contamination could
include dead or sick animals, discarded chemical
containers, or other indicators.
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Minimize risks by following common-
sense safety practices, such as:
Approach the site from upwind;
Do not eat, drink or smoke at the site;
Do not drink, smell, touch or taste the
suspect water;
Use appropriate personal protective
gear (e.g., splash-proof goggles,
respirator, disposable gloves,
disposable shoe covers, and a
disposable lab coat);
Avoid skin contact with suspect water;
Fill sample containers slowly to
avoid splashing or creating spray or
droplets of water that could spread the
contamination; and
Do not spend any more time than
needed to characterize the site and get
samples.
If there are signs of hazards, the team should
stop their investigation and immediately contact
the Incident Commander (who may be you).
You should then decide how to proceed. It
is recommended that the site be evacuated
immediately and that a properly trained and
equipped HazMat team be brought in to
investigate.
If there are no obvious signs of hazards, the team
should still contact the Incident Commander
(who may be you) before crossing the site
perimeter and entering the site. In most cases,
you should be able to tell the team to enter the
site and proceed with site characterization and
collection of water samples to determine the
nature of the threat or incident.
Characterizing the Site
After the field safety screening has been
completed and if it appears safe to proceed, the
team may continue the site characterization.
The team should also do a detailed visual
inspection of the site. They should perform
rapid field testing of the water suspected of
being contaminated. Recommended core field
testing consists of monitoring for radiation,
cyanide, chlorine residual, conductivity and pH
of the suspect water.
Rapid Field Testing and EPA's
Technology Testing and Evaluation
Program (TTEP)
Rapid field testing of water suspected of
being contaminated is done to try to identify
the type of contaminant, so that the right
laboratory analyses can be done. Equipment
and instruments for rapid field testing are
described on pages 27-30 of Module 3 of the
Toolbox.
Information on field testing technologies
is also available from the EPA's National
Homeland Security Research Center
(NHSRC), through its Technology
Testing and Evaluation Program (TTEP).
The TTEP is an outgrowth of EPA's
successful and internationally recognized
Environmental Technology Verification
(ETV) Program. TTEP rigorously tests
technologies for detection, monitoring,
treatment, decontamination, computer
modeling, and other tools for protecting
water infrastructure and decontaminating
structures and the environment.
For more information on TTEP, visit the
NHSRC website at www.epa.gov/nhsrc/tte.
htm.
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There is no single field testing kit that tests for
all possible radiological, chemical or biological
contaminants. Because there is no way to test
for everything, field testing should be used only
as a guide, not as the final answer. A negative
result during field testing may mean that there is
no contaminant, or it may mean that your field
screening kit is not sensitive enough to detect the
contaminant or was not designed to measure the
particular contaminant that is present.
Remember: To conclusively prove
(or 'confirm') that water is either safe or
contaminated, you must have water samples
analyzed by a laboratory that is qualified to
do such testing. Water samples should always
be collected if there is any question that the
water might be contaminated. These samples
can be analyzed later by a laboratory.
Collecting Samples
After rapid field testing of the water, samples of
the suspect water may be collected in case they
are needed for later laboratory analysis. (Note
that if a serious hazard is apparent, a HazMat
responder may be needed to collect samples).
Depending on the outcome of the threat
evaluation, the Incident Commander (who
may be you) may decide to send the samples to
a laboratory or not. If the threat is 'credible',
then the samples should be sent immediately
to a laboratory for analysis. But if the threat
is not 'credible', then the samples should be
stored in a safe place for a specific period of time
in case it later becomes necessary to analyze
them. Keep in mind that sample holding
times for radiological, biological and chemical
contaminants can vary widely.
More information on sample collection,
packaging and transporting can be found
on pages 20-27 of Module 3 of the Toolbox.
Exiting the Site
After finishing the site characterization, the team
should prepare to leave the site. Before leaving,
the team should make sure that they have:
Documented their findings;
Collected all samples needed;
Collected all equipment; and
Re-secured the site (lock doors, hatches,
gates, etc.).
There may be other actions to take before
leaving the site. If the site is a possible crime
scene, follow guidelines from law enforcement
agencies to restrict or block access to the site and
to protect any evidence from disturbance. If
the site contains hazardous materials, it may be
necessary to decontaminate the entire team and
their equipment.
In the next chapter, you will learn about
analyzing samples for contaminants, types
of contaminants, and types of analytical
laboratories.
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Introduction
Chapter 4 is aimed at water utility staff who
will plan, order and interpret laboratory
analyses of water samples collected from the site
of a suspected incident. In this chapter, you will
learn how to plan for sample analyses before a
contamination threat or incident happens, what
to ask the lab to analyze for, how to set data
quality goals and what precautions to take when
handling or shipping samples. The following
topics are covered:
1) What you should know about laboratory
analyses and testing;
2) Safety considerations for handling
suspected contaminated water samples;
3) Types of laboratories, the analyses they
perform and how to access labs;
4) Making sure that analyses are conducted in
a manner that ensures high-quality, useable
results;
5) Screening approaches to determine if
contaminants are present in a sample; and
6) Threat response planning for analytical
laboratories.
Chapter 4 summarizes Module 4 of the Toolbox,
which can be obtained at EPA's Water Security
website at www.epa.gov/watersecurity.
What Do I Need to Know About
Laboratory Analyses?
To plan effectively for threat response, you
need to be familiar with the general types of
contaminants, how samples are analyzed, what
laboratories can perform such analyses, what to
look for in the data and how to use the results
in decision-making. It is not enough for you to
simply "leave it up to the lab to decide what to
analyze" because:
The threat warning, the circumstances
surrounding the threat, or information
collected during site characterization or field
safety screening may provide clues to the
nature of the contaminant or compound.
You should pass on such information to
the laboratory so the right analyses can be
performed.
Different contaminants may need different
sampling, preservation, handling or shipping
methods, otherwise the samples may be
compromised, resulting in poor quality
data or useless data. You should be familiar
with these differences so that your samples
arrive at the laboratory in useable condition.
Refer to Module 4 of the Response Protocol
Toolbox for more information on sampling,
preserving samples and shipping.
In response planning and decision-making,
you should take into account the time
needed by a laboratory to analyze the sample
for contaminants. This time will vary
depending on the analyses and the nature of
the contaminant and other factors.
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You should work with the laboratory to
choose the analyses to be done, determine if
the lab can do the analyses and specify the
data quality goals (e.g., accuracy, precision,
range).
Most importantly, you should work together
with the laboratory to understand what the
analytical results mean and the limitations of the
data.
Safety Considerations for Water
Utilities and Others
Contact with contaminated water, soil or other
materials may pose serious threats to your health
or safety and that of
other water utility
staff, emergency
responders, Site
Characterizatio n
Team members,
transport staff,
laboratory staffer
others. Anyone
who may be
collecting, handling
or analyzing
samples that may
contain unknown contaminants should plan
ahead of time to ensure their own safety and that
of their staff.
Utilities and laboratories should develop and
routinely use Health and Safety plans ahead of
time. You, the Site Characterization Team and
the laboratory should discuss and clearly identify
any potential risks associated with the suspect
water to allow all parties to take appropriate
safety measures. The laboratory should also
have an internal hazard communication plan to
ensure that everyone handling suspect samples is
aware of the potential danger and takes adequate
precautions.
Types of Labs and Analyses
Performed
There are several ways to classify analytical
testing laboratories in the U.S. Labs can be
classified by sector, such as:
Utility labs, such as your water utility's own
lab, which may be the first to respond to
most contamination threats;
Non-utility labs, such as commercial labs
that can analyze many kinds of contaminants
in water, tissue, soil or air; specialized
labs such as commercial, government or
university labs that do highly specialized
analyses; and government labs run by cities,
counties, states, the EPA,
FBI, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
(CDC) and other public
agencies.
If your utility has a lab
for testing water quality,
then your lab will probably
be the first lab to analyze
samples suspected of being
contaminated. Other non-
utility labs can provide
support by confirming your lab's analysis or by
performing analyses that your lab may not be
able to perform.
Sometimes your utility lab may not be able
to analyze the samples, especially if site
characterization suggests that the samples do not
fall in the "Low Hazard" category described in
Chapter 3. You may therefore decide that the
samples should not be analyzed by your utility
lab but should instead be analyzed by a non-
utility lab that is certified to handle and analyze
hazardous samples.
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Guide to
Chemical Analysis
1
Radiological Environmental
Labs Chemistry Labs
Module 4
Laboratory Analysis of Samples
f
Biological Analysis
Specialty
Labs
Chemical Aiffii*
Weapons v^*V
Figure 3. Non-Utility Laboratories
Protocol Toolbox.
,
Lab Response
Network
1
Environmental
Microbiology Labs
Biotoxins (f\^\)
by Contaminant
Class
. From Module 4, Response
You should also keep in mind that certain
contaminants may potentially contaminate lab
equipment, which could cause contamination
of future tests. For this reason, it is important
to get as much information concerning the
possible contaminant as is feasible from the
threat warning, the field safety screening and site
characterization. This information should be
shared with the laboratory staff in order to plan
for analyses and to ensure both safety and good
results.
Non-utility analytical laboratories can be
classified according to the kinds of analyses
they perform (Figure 3). Different analytical
capabilities are briefly described below.
Non-Utility Laboratories That
Perform Chemical Analyses
Radiological Labs: Radiological labs analyze
and identify radioactive substances and
contaminants such as radioactive isotopes
(also known as radioisotopes), radionuclides,
radiochemical compounds and radiological
weapons. The EPA, Department of Energy
(DOE), states and some commercial firms have
labs that can analyze radioactive materials. The
Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment
Center (FRMAC), maintained by DOE, can
provide information on analyzing radioactive
materials.
Environmental Chemistry Labs: This group
includes many EPA, state and commercial labs
that test water samples to see if they meet federal
and state drinking water standards under the
Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act or
other relevant environmental laws. Under these
regulations, government-certified labs should
use certain analytical methods that have been
standardized and approved for use.
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Specialty Labs: Specialty labs include both
chemical weapons labs and biotoxin labs.
Chemical weapons, defined by the Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC), can only be
analyzed by labs that have the appropriate
capability and legal authority. Nationwide, there
are only a few of these labs, and analyses should
usually be arranged by the proper authorities,
such as the FBI or certain other federal agencies.
Few laboratories currently exist which can
perform chemical weapons analyses. Biotoxins,
produced by animals or plants, can be analyzed
by certain government or university labs. Some
commercial environmental chemistry labs may
also be able to perform certain biotoxin analyses.
Non-Utility Laboratories That
Perform Biological Analyses
Laboratory Response Network (LRN) Labs:
The Laboratory Response Network (LRN) was
specifically developed to address bioterrorism
threats. The LRN was set up by the CDC, the
Association of Public Health Laboratories and
the FBI. LRN labs include certain city, county,
state and federal public health labs. Some labs
that are part of the LRN can perform analyses of
pathogens, some biotoxins and a "Select List" of
particularly dangerous pathogens. During the
planning stage, a utility should partner with such
labs in order to jointly plan for threat or incident
response; this should make it easier to quickly
access lab services during an actual incident.
Environmental Microbiology Labs: These labs
test for microbiological pathogens such as disease-
causing bacteria, certain protozoans, viruses, fungi
and other microorganisms. An environmental
microbiology lab, state water quality lab, hospital
lab, medical lab, public health lab or a lab that
belongs to the LRN will probably be able to
analyze pathogens in water samples. However,
not all of these labs may be able to analyze
contaminants resulting from bioterrorism,
depending on what the contaminant is.
Diagrammatic Representation of the
Laboratory Response Network
The LRN membership is organized
into "Sentinel Labs" which recognize a
contaminant, rule it out and/or refer the
sample to the next level for confirmatory
testing by "Reference Labs". At the top
of the pyramid are "National Labs" (such
as the CDC and the U.S. Army Medical
Research Institute for Infectious Diseases,
or USAMRIID), which are capable of
definitive characterization of even the
most hazardous biological agents. See
Module 4, Response Protocol Toolbox.
Obtaining High-Quality Lab Results
Laboratory analyses of samples are performed
to get accurate factual information on whether
samples are contaminated or not. This factual
information is needed to make important
decisions which can affect many people. It is
crucial that the analyses be performed in a manner
that is credible, accurate and repeatable and that
the results are of sufficient quality to be useful for
decision-making.
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35
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(If the data will be used for a criminal
investigation, refer to Section 3.5 of Module 4 of
the Toolbox for further information).
Some steps to obtain high-quality analytical
results include the following:
Plan for analyses before a threat or incident
occurs. Some labs may be able to run certain
analyses with little or no advance notice.
However, many labs should be contacted
well before the analysis is done so they can
prepare for the analysis;
Choose a reputable, experienced and certified
laboratory;
Maintain communication with the Incident
Commander, public health officials and the
laboratory to ensure that the right analyses
are performed;
Use standard protocols for sample collection,
storage, transport and processing;
Use analytical methods which have been
standardized to the greatest extent possible
(e.g., EPA methods and other standardized
methods);
Work with the lab and drinking water
primacy agency to define both data quality
goals to ensure good, accurate results and
suitable detection limits that can measure
both background and harmful, elevated
concentrations of the compound;
Collect enough samples from appropriate
locations to obtain meaningful,
representative results; and
Maintain good records, such as the chain-
of-custody, sample locations, date and
time of sampling, who sampled, shipping
information, lab contact information, types
of analyses requested and any observations.
EPA's Compendium of Environmental
Testing Laboratories
This database of laboratories describes
lab analytical capacities and capabilities.
The database is designed to assist EPA and
other users to identify qualified and appro-
priate laboratories that analyze chemical,
biological, and radiological agents. Users
must be registered to access the database.
To log on, visit the website at www.epa.
gov/compendium or contact your regional
EPA laboratory.
Approaches to Analytical
Screening For Unknown
Contaminants
What should you ask the lab to analyze for when
the contaminant is not known? Screening
is a systematic scientific approach to try to
identify unknown contaminants that may
be present in a sample. Screening involves
progressively analyzing a sample to try to
identify an unknown contaminant(s) through
skilled, systematic laboratory analysis. This can
be very difficult when there may be thousands
of possible contaminants. Contaminant
identification may be even more difficult if there
is no information from the threat warning,
site characterization or field safety screening to
indicate the nature of the contaminant, if any.
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Unfortunately, there is no one screening process
that can detect all known contaminants or
compounds. In addition, different laboratories
may have slightly different approaches to
screening. Thus, the judgment and experience
of an individual emergency response planner,
Incident Commander or public health official
can be extremely important in helping the lab
to plan and/or implement the right screening
approach that will result in identifying the
contaminant(s) present, if any. This is another
reason why everyone involved in emergency
planning and response should understand at least
the basics of laboratory analyses of samples.
Screening a sample that may contain
contaminants involves sifting through evidence
to narrow the list of unknowns down to a few
suspected contaminants. Screening is done in
two steps. The first step is the Basic Screen and
the second step is the Expanded Screen.
The Basic Screen is a broad-spectrum screen
for common chemical contaminants ("the usual
suspects"). The Basic Screen uses widely-used
methods to analyze the sample for a variety
of contaminants of concern. However, these
methods do not cover all contaminants that
may potentially be used to contaminate water;
for example, there are no standard tests for
all biotoxins in water. Make sure that the
laboratory has all the information from field
screening before it undertakes a basic screen.
Basic screening for radiological contaminants is
done by measuring radioactivity; for example,
by using a Geiger counter. A Geiger counter
can be used as a field screening tool, or it can be
used in the lab. If radioactivity is detected, the
chemical identity of the radionuclide should be
determined through further analysis.
To cover the shortfalls of the Basic Screen,
the Expanded Screen tests for more unusual
chemical or biological contaminants. The
Expanded Screen "explores" to find out what
might be in the water sample and looks for
contaminants that the Basic Screen may have
missed.
Microbiological screening is similar to screening
for chemical contaminants or biotoxins, except
that it targets pathogenic microorganisms. It
involves four steps:
1) Rapid field testing. The sample is tested in
the field to see if the pathogen is present.
Keep in mind that rapid field testing
equipment for pathogens may be limited.
2) Sample concentration and recovery in the
field. Large volumes of suspect water are
collected and the sample is concentrated
down to a smaller volume to improve the
chances of finding a pathogen;
3) Testing at a "Sentinel Laboratory", which is
a laboratory certified for analysis of certain
pathogens; and
4) Testing at a "Reference Laboratory",
if necessary, to compare the pathogen
to known pathogens kept in "reference
collections" (much as reference books are
kept in a library).
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Although laboratory analyses may seem complex,
it is crucial for threat response managers to be
aware of analytical capabilities and limitations
so that you can use the information to make
important decisions. If laboratory testing
'confirms' the presence of a contaminant in the
water system, public health response actions
should be initiated. These are discussed in the
next chapter.
Why Analytical Laboratories
Should Plan for Threat Response
Laboratories are a key part of our nation's
response to water contamination threats and
incidents. Like water utilities and public
agencies, laboratories should be ready to
respond to an emergency by quickly and
accurately analyzing samples suspected of being
contaminated and producing reliable results.
These results should be used by you, the Incident
Commander, Unified Command, public health
agencies and others to make important decisions
that could have far-ranging effects.
Labs that may someday be involved in analyzing
samples during a water contamination threat
emergency should develop their own Laboratory
Response Plans. A Laboratory Response Plan is
a plan prepared by a laboratory detailing their
approach and capabilities for the 24/7 processing
of emergency water samples. Such a plan should
always be tailored to local needs, facilities and
skills, and it should be reviewed and accepted
before use. Module 4 of the Toolbox describes
laboratory response planning in detail. The
"model screening procedure", for example, can
help labs plan for screening samples.
In the next chapter, public health response
activities are described.
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Public Health Response Guide
Introduction
A primary goal of threat response planning is
-Zi-to protect public health and safety to the
greatest extent possible. This chapter describes
public health response planning and public
notification in the event of a contamination
threat or incident. This chapter discusses:
Who is responsible for undertaking public
health response actions;
The role of the water utility; and
The need for cooperation and interaction
between public health officials, utilities,
drinking water primacy agencies and others
to protect public health and deliver good
information to the public.
As a water utility manager or emergency response
manager, you should read this chapter to ensure
that you understand how to help protect public
health and safety in the event of a contamination
threat or incident.
Chapter 5 summarizes Module 5 of the Toolbox,
which can be obtained at EPA's Water Security
website at www.epa.gov/watersecurity.
Response Planning for Protection
of Public Health
Water utilities, public health agencies and other
threat response managers should plan together
for protection of public health. Such mutual
planning is crucial.
There are five steps to consider in planning for
effective public health response:
1) Plan the public health response to a
contamination threat or incident before a
threat or incident occurs;
2) When a threat or incident occurs,
determine the public health consequences;
3) Carry out operational response actions to
contain the contaminant and protect public
health;
4) Communicate effectively with other
agencies, utilities and the public through a
communication and notification plan; and
5) Provide an alternate short-term water
supply (your utility's ERP should provide
options for an alternate water supply).
Each of these steps is summarized below.
Step 1. Plan the Public Health Response
Before A Threat Occurs
Long before a threat is received, your utility,
together with local public health agencies,
should plan and coordinate the public health
response. State and local public health agencies
typically develop Public Health Response Plans
that cover responses to all kinds of public health
emergencies, including water emergencies.
Examples of response planning are provided
below, modified for water utilities.
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Use public health planning in your own
utility's Emergency Response Plan (ERP):
Each utility should examine how public health
response plans of local and state health agencies
address water contamination. Utilities should
use relevant parts of the public health response
plans in their own ERPs.
Know which agencies will be involved in
the public health response: Water utility
emergency response planners should know
which agencies will be involved in the public
health response and what these agencies will be
doing. The appropriate responsible agencies
can vary significantly by locality. You should
coordinate your emergency response planning
with appropriate agencies and take advantage of
training offered by others.
Develop a communication and notification
plan for your utility: Fast, reliable
communication is the key to success in
coordinating the public health response. Before
an incident occurs, water utilities should
develop a communication and notification
plan. Communication and notification plans
should include other agencies, utility staff, utility
customers and the public. For example, you
should report a contamination threat to the
appropriate drinking water primacy agency and
public health agencies. Public health agencies
may in turn alert doctors, clinics and hospitals
to be on the lookout for public health symptoms
and to report these to the public health agency.
Public health agencies should report symptoms
of contaminated drinking water to utilities.
Agencies that may be involved in the
public health response to a water
contamination incident include:
Water and wastewater utilities;
Drinking water primacy agency;
Local, state and federal public health
and environmental agencies;
Hospitals, clinics, doctors and poison
control centers;
Local, state and federal emergency
services;
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency;
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention;
Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry;
Federal Emergency Management
Agency; and
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
National Guard and/or other military
organizations.
Your utility's communication and
notification plan should specify:
Agencies, organizations and
individuals to contact or notify;
Who will send and receive
information;
Contact information;
The kinds of information to be
communicated;
When and how to notify your staff,
drinking water primacy agency and
other agencies and organizations;
When and how to notify the public;
and
A backup communication and
notification system.
Identify possible operational response actions
during the planning process: During the
planning process, your utility should identify
possible operational response actions to respond
to possible public health threats. During an
actual contamination threat or incident, you
should act quickly to protect public health
and prevent the contaminant from spreading.
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Operational response actions are described below
in Step 3.
Step 2. When a Threat or Incident Occurs,
Determine the Public Health Consequences
Once a contamination incident has been
'confirmed', you should find out more about
the contaminant and its health effects in order
to choose the right course of action to keep the
contaminant from spreading and to protect
public health. EPA's Water Contaminant
Information Tool (WCIT) can provide useful
information to help you make these decisions.
Water Contaminant Information Tool
(WCIT)
The Water Contaminant Information
Tool is a secure, on-line database
developed by the U.S. EPA that provides
information on contaminants of concern
for water security. WCIT contains the
most up-to-date, reliable information on
water contaminants, such as contaminant
names, fate and transport, health effects
and toxicity, medical information,
drinking water treatment effectiveness,
potential water quality and environmental
indicators, sampling and analysis, helpful
response activities for utilities and other
useful information.
To learn more about WCIT, download
the WCIT Fact Sheet from EPA's water
security publications website at cfpub.
epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/tools.
cfm , or connect to the WCIT website at
www.epa.gov/wcit. Access to the WCIT
database is controlled.
What You Need To Know To Make The
Right Public Health Decision:
Potential acute (severe short-term)
health effects of the contaminant;
Potential chronic (less severe but
longer-lasting) health effects of the
contaminant;
Contaminant concentrations that can
cause these effects;
Exposure pathways (ingestion,
inhalation or skin contact); and
How long the contaminant will
remain in water, what causes the
contaminant to break down, what the
breakdown product is and how toxic
this breakdown product is compared
to the original substance.
As the utility manager, you should work with
public health agencies to determine how fast
the contaminant can spread throughout the
water system, whether there are points at which
the spread of contaminants can be stopped
and what public health response actions to
take. For example, you should have up-to-date
information on your water distribution system,
such as water flow volumes and flow rates,
locations of shutoff valves and access points and
so on, so that you can determine where and
how fast contaminated water might spread in
the event of a contamination incident. Getting
this information and keeping it up to date may
be challenging, but the benefit should be an
improved ability to protect public health.
If it is possible, the public health agency should
also try to estimate how much contaminant
remains after a given period of time has passed,
how dangerous this amount is, what health
precautions to take, and when and where these
precautions apply.
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Estimating Terrorist Impacts on Water
Systems:
EPA and others have developed tools, such
as hydraulic models, to help utilities estimate
the effects of a terrorist incident on drinking
water systems. If your utility decides to use
such tools, you should be aware that such
models may involve costs and require training
and time to apply them. Practice using such
tools before an incident occurs so that you
can act quickly and with due diligence when
a real incident occurs.
Step 3. Carry Out Operational Response
Actions
Operational response actions are actions that
protect public health by reducing exposure to
the suspect water. Operational response actions
are often carried out while more information
is being collected to determine whether or not
the threat is 'credible'. It is critical to work
with local agencies and elected officials when
initiating operational response actions.
Example: The Mayor receives a call that a water
tank has been contaminated. The Mayor then
phones you at the water utility and you decide, as
the water utility manager, that contamination of
a particular water tank is 'possible' because that
tank is on-line and the fence around the tank is
old and decrepit. Your immediate operational
response is to shut the valves on pipes leading
into and out of the water tank to isolate the
water tank from the rest of the water system (if
feasible), thus preventing any contaminant from
spreading to the rest of the system. You may
need to notify your state drinking water primacy
agency immediately. Also, in addition to the
federal Public Notification Rule, local notification
rules can vary by locality and all other appropriate
parties should be notified (e.g., public health
agency, law enforcement, and others).
Containment of suspect water should be done
as soon as possible, ideally during the first stage
of threat evaluation when you are determining
if the threat is 'possible' or not. If you cannot
contain the suspect water quickly, then you
should accelerate the determination of whether
or not the contamination threat is 'credible'.
Deciding on operational responses can be tricky,
because there could be unforeseen consequences
of the action taken. For example, restricting
water use or water delivery could result in
portions of the service area, including hospitals
and schools, being deprived of water. This could
lead to poor sanitation or a host of other effects.
To deal with these other effects, you should plan
well in advance of a contamination threat or
incident.
For Water Utilities: Possible Operational
Response Actions to Protect Public Health
Q Isolate and contain the suspect water so
it doesn't spread and contaminate other
parts of the water system;
Q Increase levels of disinfection; for
example, by using a mobile disinfection
unit to treat a part of the water system or
by adding more chlorine to the system;
Q Notify the public to take precautions,
such as "Boil water", "Do not drink",
or "Do not use" in coordination with
your state primacy agency, public
health officials and other officials, as
appropriate.
Q Distribute bottled water or water from
neighboring utilities as a safe alternative
to the contaminated or suspect water.
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Step 4. Notify the Public
If the contamination threat is 'credible', then
you should coordinate with your drinking water
primacy agency and public health agencies to
decide whether to issue a public notice or not. It
is critical to work with local agencies and elected
officials when planning public notification.
One way to help the public minimize their
exposure to contaminated water is to issue a
public notice to avoid drinking or using the
water. The Federal Public Notification Rule
under the National Primary Drinking Water
Regulations requires public notification when
there is a "situation with significant potential to
have serious adverse effects on human health as a
result of short term exposure"^ CFRง 141.202).
Once you have decided to notify the public to
reduce their exposure, you should decide what
type of notification to issue, based on the threat
or incident and the contaminant potentially
involved. Examples of public notices are
described in the table on page 44.
Public Notification Procedure under
the National Primary Drinking
Water Regulations, Federal Public
Notification Rule (Tier 1, 40 CFR
141.202):
Q Notify the public as soon as
practical, but no later than 24
hours after you learn of the water
quality violation or credible
contamination threat;
Q Discuss the threat with your
drinking water primacy agency as
soon as practical, but no later than
24 hours after you learn of the
situation, in order to find out if
any additional public notification
is required; and
Q Provide any additional public
notification as required by your
drinking water primacy agency.
Examples might be repeat notices,
providing direction on how long
the notices are in effect, how often
the notices are to be issued, the
form and timing of public notices,
and other actions to reach all your
water system users. Requirements
may vary by state, (see www.epa.
gov/safewater/pn.html).
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Examples of Public Notices About Drinking Water
Type of Notice
When To Use This Notice
Relative Burden on Public
Boil Water
Before Use
Use if boiling will make the water
safe to drink and boiling does
not create other health problems,
particularly through routes of
exposure other than drinking (e.g.,
inhalation or skin contact with water
vapor).
Least burden. Facilities which use large
amounts of water for drinking or food
preparation will be most affected.
Do Not Drink
Use if boiling is not an option and if
water vapor and skin contact do not
pose risks.
More burden - an alternate water
supply for drinking and food
preparation will be needed.
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Do Not Use
Use if the contaminant is unknown,
if treatment is not possible at the
moment or if the contaminant poses
a health risk through inhalation of
water vapor or through skin contact
with affected water.
Greatest burden - an alternate water
supply for all uses, including fire
fighting and flushing toilets, will be
needed.
Because water use restrictions can have
unintended health consequences, you should
weigh the potential public health consequences
of restricting water use against the public health
threat posed by the contaminant.
Step 5. Provide an Alternate Water Supply for
the Short Term
that providing an alternate water supply can pose
a significant logistical challenge and should be
planned in advance. Consider the use of mutual
aid agreements to provide backup water from
other municipalities or sources, a memorandum
of understanding (MOU) with other water
suppliers, and/or contracted services to provide
alternate water.
If the decision is made to issue a "Do Not
Drink" or "Do Not Use" order, utilities should
be prepared to provide alternate safe sources
of water such as bottled water, potable water
trucked to distribution points, or water provided
by an interconnection. You may need assistance
from federal, state and/or local emergency
responders to distribute water. Keep in mind
In the next
chapter, you
will learn about
the key issues
involved in
remediation and
recovery of a
water system.
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Remediation and Recovery Guide
Introduction
In this chapter, you will learn about
the key issues involved in remediation
of a contaminated water system and
how to return the system to normal, safe
operation. Understanding the remediation
process is important because, although
you may not necessarily be responsible
for overseeing remediation, you should be
seeking ways to provide safe water while
remediation is ongoing. Other parties
involved in remediation should include
public health agencies and drinking water
agencies that will monitor water quality
and the remediation, and remediation
specialists who will conduct the technical
work of contaminant cleanup.
Once a contamination threat or incident
has been 'confirmed', the contamination
must be cleaned up, or remediated.
Remedial response actions are
actions that reduce or eliminate the
contaminant. By this time, remediation
experts should be on hand to clean up the
contaminant.
When the remediation is completed and the
water system is demonstrated to be safe, your
responsibility should be to return the water
system to normal, safe operation as quickly
as possible. Recovery refers to the return to
normal operations after remediation.
Chapter 6 summarizes Module 6 of the Toolbox,
which can be obtained at EPA's Water Security
website at www.epa.gov/watersecurity.
Who is Responsible?
Once a contamination threat is 'confirmed' and
the contamination has been contained, it is likely
that a Unified Command structure will oversee
remediation and recovery actions. Unified
Command will manage a team of specialists from
different agencies and organizations who know
how to remediate the particular contaminant
involved. Specialists should be able to tell you
when it is safe to return to normal operations.
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restore the water system to normal. Remediation
can also be done in stages, such as emergency
short-term remediation to reduce dangerous
levels of a contaminant to a safer level, followed
by long-term remediation to remove any
remaining low levels of the contaminant.
Step 5. Choose the Right Remediation
Technology
Unified Command should select a remediation
technology that will:
Protect human health and the environment;
Comply with all applicable regulations (such
as the Safe Drinking Water Act); and
Be feasible, affordable and cost-effective to
the extent possible.
Step 6. Design the Remediation
After remediation actions and technology are
selected, the engineering design, planning and
documentation of the remediation begins.
Your water utility and other technical support
staff should be involved in providing technical
assistance in the design of the remediation
to help prevent unforeseen impacts on the
remaining unaffected water system.
Step 7. Do the Remediation
Once the remedial design has been approved, the
remediation and rehabilitation
of the contaminated parts of
the water system are carried
out. Contractors may assist
in these procedures. Your
expertise in the normal
operation of the water system
will be essential during this
step to avoid unforeseen
impacts on the water system.
Step 8. Do Post-Remediation Monitoring
After remediation is completed, both water
quality and the water system should be
monitored to ensure that the remediation was
effective. If the remediation was not effective,
the problem should be fixed and the water tested
again.
Step 9. Communicate with the Public to
Restore Confidence
During all stages of remediation, you and
Unified Command should keep the community
informed about the remediation process, who
is in charge, how it could affect human health,
what is being done to restore safe water, and
when things are expected to return to normal.
Otherwise, the public may continue to use
unsafe water, hoard water, or act in other ways
that could cause unforeseen problems and even
interfere with remediation.
The Final Step - Full
Recovery
The final step is the resumption
of safe, normal system
operations and the provision of
safe water to the public. With
full recovery of your water
system, you have achieved a key
goal of effective response.
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Final Thoughts
Planning for water security and emergency
response may seem overwhelmingly complex.
However, several key points can help you deal
effectively with a contamination threat or
incident:
1) Your first priority is protecting public
health and safety;
2) There are many resources for assistance.
These should be identified as part of
the planning process, before a threat or
incident occurs;
3) Always use due diligence in planning for
and responding to a threat;
4) For a successful response, it is critical to
have cooperation and good communication
between your utility and other agencies and
response organizations;
5) Plan and practice emergency response
procedures ahead of time to ensure that
an actual emergency response will go as
quickly and smoothly as possible;
6) You should make decisions in a timely
manner, based on the best information
available to you at the time; and
7) You can help to ensure legally defensible
decisions through organization, timeliness,
quality control and good record-keeping.
Remember, if you manage a utility or its
emergency response program, you are
responsible for protecting public health and the
environment. However, you are not alone in
this mission. Establish communications now
with the agencies that can help you during an
emergency, and begin to plan and train for
contamination threats and incidents.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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since the events of 9/11. Significant actions are underway to assess and reduce vulnerabilities to potential
terrorist attacks; to plan for and practice response to emergencies and incidents; and to develop new E
technologies to detect and monitor contaminants and prevent security breaches.
This Web site provides rpsojrces tor vaier utilities., sUii and local governments, -ubl1: health c-tfiuais,
emergency responders and planners, assistance and training providers, environmental professionals,
researchers and engineers, and law enforcement, among others.
tiaininq to aid water u!ih1>es in assessing tfl
vulnerabilities to adversarial actions.
Webcasts
Tools and Technical Assistant
Grants and Fundinq
Publical
Emergency / Incident Planning - T
training to help water utilities develop
respond to emergencies.
Security Enhancements, Research and
- Latest scientific advanc
protect drinking water and wastewate
systems.
Security Presidential Directives and
laws.
www.epa.gov/watersecurity
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Glossary of Terms
Basic Screen - A broad-spectrum screen to
identify common chemical contaminants that
may be present in a suspect water sample. The
Basic Screen employs widely-used methods to
analyze the sample for a variety of contaminants
of concern. See Chapter 4.
Commercial labs - Labs that perform
testing and analyses of samples as a business.
Commercial labs may be able to analyze many
kinds of contaminants in water, tissue, soil and
air. See Chapter 4.
'Confirmed' - A 'confirmed' threat is a
'credible' threat that has been verified through
sample analyses that prove that the water
is contaminated with a harmful substance.
Alternatively, in the absence of analytical data,
a threat is 'confirmed' when a preponderance of
evidence indicates that a contamination incident
has occurred. A 'confirmed' threat becomes a
contamination incident. See Chapter 2.
Contamination threat - A suggestion or
an indication that water has been or will be
contaminated, but no conclusive proof has been
collected yet to confirm that contamination
has actually occurred. A threat may be written,
verbal, or based on observations or other
evidence. See Chapters 1 and 2.
Contamination incident - A contamination
incident has occurred when the presence of
a harmful contaminant or other substance in
drinking water has been 'confirmed' (i.e., verified
through sample testing or by a preponderance of
evidence). See definition of'confirmed' (above)
and Chapters 1 and 2.
Contamination Threat Management Matrices
- Module 2 of the Response Protocol Toolbox
contains these matrices to assist in collecting
and organizing the information needed to help
determine if a threat is 'possible', 'credible' or
'confirmed'. Each matrix covers: 1) Information
and factors to be considered in assessing a threat;
2) Possible notifications to make; and 3) Possible
response actions. These generalized matrices can
be customized to a specific utility or incident.
See Chapter 2.
Core field testing - The minimal recommended
monitoring activities to perform when
conducting a site characterization, including
monitoring for radiation, cyanide, chlorine
residual, conductivity and pH of the suspect
water. See Chapter 3.
'Credible' - A 'credible' threat is a 'possible'
threat that is believable and plausible, based on
reliable information that shows there is reason
to believe that the threat warning is real and
that contamination is likely to have happened.
A 'credible' threat is a much higher threat level
than a 'possible' threat. See Chapter 2.
Due diligence - Due diligence has been
exercised when all suitable, sensible and
responsible actions have been taken to evaluate
a contamination threat or incident and respond
appropriately. See Chapter 1.
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) - A
pre-designated facility established by an agency
or jurisdiction to coordinate the overall agency
or jurisdictional response to an emergency. It
is not a part of on-scene incident management,
but supports the on-scene Incident Commander
or Unified Command by arranging for needed
resources. See Chapter 2.
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Emergency Response Plans (ERPs) - The
2002 Public Health Security and Bioterrorism
Preparedness and Response Act required water
systems serving more than 3,300 customers to
develop and maintain Emergency Response
Plans (ERPs) to prepare for responding
to contamination threats and intentional
contamination incidents. See Overview.
Environmental chemistry labs - Labs that
analyze environmental samples to see if they
contain chemical contaminants of concern or
meet federal and state regulations for quality and
safety. Many EPA, state and commercial labs
perform environmental chemistry analyses. Labs
performing such analyses should be government-
certified to use standardized, pre-approved
analytical procedures. See Chapter 4.
Environmental microbiology labs - Labs
that analyze environmental samples (usually
water, soil or food) to determine if pathogenic
microorganisms are present, such as disease-
causing bacteria, protozoans, fungi, viruses or
others. See Chapter 4.
Expanded Screen - To address the limitations of
the Basic Screen (see above), an Expanded Screen
tests for more unusual chemical or biological
contaminants or contaminants that may have
been missed by the Basic Screen. See Chapter 4.
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management
Agency) - The national agency that coordinates
emergency and disaster relief responses.
FEMA is one of several agencies included in
the Department of Homeland Security. See
"Additional Resources".
Field safety screening - A safety screening
procedure that is performed by the Site
Characterization Team in the field, before
entering the site of a possible threat or
contamination incident. The field safety
screening is done to observe site conditions and
to detect any immediate threats to the team from
contaminants. It may include field testing for
radioactivity, chemical agents and/or biological
agents. See Chapter 3.
Government labs - Laboratories that are
operated by government agencies at the city,
county, state or federal level. Examples of the
latter include labs operated by the EPA, FBI,
and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). A common role of government labs
is to test samples to determine if regulatory
standards are met. See Chapter 4.
Hazard categories (Low Hazard, Radiological
Hazard, Chemical Hazard, Biological Hazard)
- The hazard posed by a contamination threat or
incident may be classified according to the type
of hazard, the cause of the hazard, and the risks
posed. Examples of hazard categories include
Low Hazard (no obvious signs of contaminants;
contaminants are probably diluted and not
widespread), Radiological Hazard (radiation is
tentatively identified at the site or in the water,
posing potential risk), Chemical Hazard (highly
toxic chemicals such as WMD or volatile toxic
industrial chemicals are tentatively identified
at the site or in the water, posing potential
risk), and Biological Hazard (pathogenic
microorganisms are tentatively identified, posing
potential risk). See Chapter 3.
Incident Command System (ICS) - This is
the national standard for the command, control
and coordination of a response to a threat,
incident or emergency of any kind. It requires
that an individual Incident Commander, from
an agency that is responsible for responding to
the emergency or threat, manage the response
activities. See Chapter 2.
Incident Commander - In the Incident
Command System, the Incident Commander is
the individual who is responsible for managing
the overall response to the emergency. See
Chapter 2.
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Initial hazard assessment - Before the Site
Characterization Team is sent to investigate the
site of a threat or contamination incident, the
Incident Commander should make an initial
hazard assessment to evaluate potential risks and
the need for special protective gear or equipment
for handling hazardous materials or sampling.
This initial assessment should be based on
available information and an initial evaluation
of the threat (i.e., is the threat 'possible' or
'credible', or not). See Chapter 3.
Laboratory Response Network (LRN) Labs
- A network of labs that was specifically set up
to address bioterrorism threats. The LRN was
created by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), the Association of
Public Health Laboratories, and the FBI. LRN
labs include certain city, county, state and
federal public health labs that can perform
analyses of pathogens, some biotoxins, and
other particularly dangerous pathogens. In
order to have samples analyzed by an LRN
lab, arrangements should be made during the
response planning stage. See Chapter 4.
Non-utility labs - Laboratories that are not
run by water or wastewater utilities. Examples
include government labs, commercial labs,
university or research labs, specialty labs and
other types of labs. See Chapter 4.
National Response Plan (NRP) - The NRP
provides a comprehensive, all-hazards approach
to managing the response to domestic incidents
or emergencies. It provides the basis for federal
agency coordination with state, local and tribal
governments and with the private sector to
address incidents or emergencies. The NRP is
based on the National Incident Management
System (NIMS) for managing incident response
(see below); together they provide a template for
effective threat prevention and response. See
Chapter 2 and "Additional Resources".
National Incident Management System
(NIMS) - NIMS provides a comprehensive
national framework and standard for incident
management. NIMS incorporates the Incident
Command System as the management system to
deal with threats, emergencies and incidents. See
Chapter 2 and "Additional Resources".
Operational response actions (also known as
immediate operational responses) - Actions
that protect public health by reducing exposure
to the suspect water. Operational response
actions are often carried out while a threat is
being evaluated in order to protect public health
in the event that the threat is confirmed to
be an incident. Examples include preventing
the spread of suspected contaminated water,
increasing disinfection, notifying the public to
take precautions, or distributing bottled water.
See Chapters 2 and 5.
'Possible' - After a threat is received, the first step
in evaluating the credibility of a threat is to decide
if it is 'possible'. A 'possible' threat is one where
the circumstances suggest that contamination
could have occurred and that further investigation
is needed. If the threat is found to be not
'possible', then the investigation is closed, the
threat is documented, and operations are returned
to normal. See Chapter 2.
Preponderance of evidence - Most of the
available evidence points in a certain direction.
See Chapter 2.
Public notification procedures - Procedures
for notifying the public in the event that a
water contamination threat or incident has
occurred where there is "significant potential
to have serious adverse effects on human
health as a result of short-term exposure"
(40 CFR ง 141.202, known as the Federal
Public Notification Rule under the National
Primary Drinking Water Regulations). Public
notification procedures include issuing a public
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notice identifying the potential contaminant and
providing directions for avoiding drinking or
using the water. See Chapter 5.
Radiological labs - Labs that analyze and
identify radioactive substances and contaminants
such as radioactive isotopes, radionuclides,
radiochemical compounds and radiological
weapons. The EPA, Department of Energy
(DOE), states and some commercial firms have
radiological labs. FEMA operates the Federal
Radiological Management Center (FRMAC)
which can provide information on analyzing
samples for radioactive materials. See Chapter 4.
Rapid field testing - Testing that is done in the
field by the Site Characterization Team to try
to identify the type of contaminant that may
be present so that the right laboratory analyses
can be done. Field testing is done to obtain
preliminary information, and should be followed
up by laboratory testing to 'confirm' whether
contamination is present or not. See Chapter 3
and the EPA's Technology Testing and Evaluation
Program (TTEP) in "Additional Resources"
(under EPA NHSRC) to learn about equipment
for rapid field testing.
Recovery - The return to normal operations after
remediation of a contaminated water system or
site has been completed. See Chapter 6.
Remediation, remedial response actions
- Response actions that reduce or eliminate the
contaminant from the affected water system
or site. Remediation is usually performed by
remedial specialists overseen by agencies with
remediation oversight responsibilities. See
Chapter 6.
Response Guidelines - An EPA document
that contains all of the forms, checklists, and
report formats from the comprehensive Response
Protocol Toolbox: Planning For and Responding
to Drinking Water Contamination Threats
and Incidents. The Response Guidelines and
this Handbook were designed as companion
documents to be used together for response
planning. See "Overview" and "Additional
Resources".
Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning For and
Responding to Drinking Water Contamination
Threats and Incidents (Toolbox, or RPTB) - A
comprehensive guidance document developed
by the EPA for the water sector, the Toolbox
describes planning measures to prepare for and
respond to drinking water contamination threats
and incidents. The chapters in this Handbook
correspond to modules in the Toolbox. See
"Overview" and "Additional Resources".
Site characterization - Site characterization
involves the investigation of the site of a threat
or incident to find out the "what, where,
when, who, why and how" of the threat or
incident. After the initial hazard assessment,
site characterization activities include field safety
screening, site investigation, rapid field testing
of the water, and sampling. A site could be an
entire water system or a component, such as
the distribution system, source water, treatment
facility, storage tanks or some other area that
may have been contaminated. See Chapter 3.
Site characterization team - The group of
individuals that performs site characterization
and sampling activities following receipt of
a threat or incident report. The team may
include people from the water utility, police,
fire, HazMat specialists, environmental response
teams from government agencies, public health
officials, FBI and EPA criminal investigators,
civil support teams and representatives of other
agencies. See Chapter 3.
Specialized or specialty labs - Commercial,
government or university labs that perform
highly specialized analyses that are not
commonly performed by other labs. Examples
52
Water Security Handbook
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include chemical weapons labs and biotoxin
labs. Nationwide, there are only a few chemical
weapons or biotoxin labs, and analyses should
usually be arranged by the proper authorities,
such as the FBI or certain other federal agencies.
See Chapter 4.
Threat warning - An indication that something
may be wrong with water quality or the drinking
water system. Threat warnings may include
any, some or all of the following: security
breach, witness account, direct notification
by the perpetrator, notification by the news
media, notification by law enforcement, unusual
water quality, consumer complaints, and/or
notification by public health agencies. See
Chapter 2.
Unified Command - In ICS, Unified Command
is a unified team effort which allows all agencies
with responsibility for the incident, either
geographic or functional, to manage the incident
by establishing a common set of goals and
strategies. This is accomplished without losing
or giving up agency authority, responsibility, or
accountability. See Chapter 2.
Utility labs - Labs that are run by water utilities.
Utility labs routinely perform water quality
monitoring to ensure that drinking water is safe
for customers. See Chapter 4.
H
Water Utility Emergency Response Manager
(WUERM) - An individual who is responsible ^
for managing the water utility's internal
emergency response procedures (also known
as the water utility's emergency response (/)
coordinator). This individual may also serve _
as the utility's Incident Commander during CD
emergencies. See Chapter 2.
Water Security Handbook 53
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Additional Resources
(
o
This section provides information on resources
that may help you in planning and responding
to contamination threats and incidents.
Information was current at the time of
publication of this Handbook.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR): ATSDR is a national public
health agency which compiles information on
contaminants and disease-causing agents. See
their website at www. atsdr.cdc.gov/.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC): See the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/
or call the CDC Hotline at 1-800-CDC-INFO.
CDC compiles and tracks information on
diseases, illness, outbreaks, contaminants, health
effects, emergency preparedness and response,
the national Laboratory Response Network
(LRN), bioterrorism agents and other topics.
Compendium of Environmental Testing
Laboratories: This laboratory compendium is a
database of laboratories, developed by the EPA,
which describes the analytical capabilities and
capacities of labs nationwide. The database was
designed to assist EPA and other users to identify
qualified and appropriate laboratories to analyze
chemical, biological and radiological agents.
To register on-line or to obtain additional
information, visit www.epa.gov/compendium.
Access to the laboratory compendium is
controlled.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS):
See the DHS website at www.dhs.gov/. The
website provides extensive information
concerning threats and posts threat levels and
other bulletins. It also contains links to the
National Incident Management System (NIMS),
Homeland Security Information Networks for
Critical Sectors or HSIN-CS, and information
regarding the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA).
EPA National Homeland Security Research
Center (NHSRC): The NHSRC provides
technical information on methods, tools and
technologies to assist in protecting public
health and safety in the event of a terrorist
attack. Examples include the EPA's Technology
Testing and Evaluation Program (TTEP), the
Standardized Analytical Methods for Use During
Homeland Security Events and the Security
Information Collaborative A Guide for Water
Utilities, described elsewhere in this section.
See the EPA NHSRC website at www.epa.gov/
nhsrc/.
EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline: This
hotline is a service of the Office of Ground
Water and Drinking Water. It provides the
general public, regulators, medical and water
professionals, academia and media with
information about drinking water and ground
water programs authorized under the Safe
Drinking Water Act. You can reach the hotline
at 1-800-426-4791 or ask a question at the
Hotline's website at www.epa.gov/safewater/
hotline.
EPA Water Security Division: See EPA's
website at www.epa.gov/watersecurity for
information on emergency response planning,
training workshops, tools and useful links.
The website includes links to information on
Emergency Response Plans (ERPs), the Response
Protocol Toolbox, this Handbook, and many other
water security resources.
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Water Security Handbook
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Emergency Response Plan Guidance far Small
and Medium Systems, Emergency Response
Plan Outline, and other emergency response
planning documents can be downloaded from
EPA's water security website at www.epa.gov/
watersecurity or by calling EPA's Safe Drinking
Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or by sending
an e-mail via the Hotline's website at www.epa.
gov/safewater/hotline.
Emergency Response Tabletop Exercises for
Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems
CD: This CD, developed by the EPA,
contains tabletop exercises to help train water
and wastewater utility workers in preparing
and carrying out emergency response plans.
The exercises provided on the CD can help
strengthen relationships between a water supplier
and their emergency response team (e.g., health
officials, laboratories, fire, police, emergency
medical services, and local, state and federal
officials). Users can also adapt the materials for
their own needs. Explore the CD at www.epa.
gov/watersecurity.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA): See the FEMA website at www.fema.
gov/orcall 1-800-621-FEMA. This national
agency coordinates emergency and disaster relief
response. Their website contains links to the
National Response Plan, the National Incident
Management System (NIMS), the Federal
Radiological Emergency Response Plan and
many other useful emergency response links.
InfraGard: This is an FBI-sponsored
information sharing and analysis effort serving
the interests and combining the knowledge base
of a wide range of members. At its most basic
level, InfraGard is a partnership between the FBI
and the private sector. InfraGard is an association
of businesses, academic institutions, state
and local law enforcement agencies and other
participants dedicated to sharing information
and intelligence to prevent hostile acts against the
United States. Learn more at www.infragard.net.
National Response Center (NRC) and
National Response Team (NRT): The NRC
is the federal point of contact for reporting
incidents related to oil, hazardous material
discharges, suspicious activity, security
breaches or terrorism occurring in the United
States. The NRT is an organization of 16
Federal departments and agencies responsible
for coordinating emergency preparedness
and response to oil and hazardous substance
pollution incidents. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Coast
Guard (USCG) serve as Chair and Vice Chair,
respectively. Call the NRC at 1-800-424-8802
or 1-202-267-2675 or see the NRT's website at
www.nrt.org.
National Incident Management System
(NIMS): The NIMS integrates effective
practices in emergency preparedness and
response into a comprehensive national
framework for incident management. The
NIMS will enable responders at all levels to work
together more effectively to manage domestic
incidents no matter what the cause, size or
complexity. See the DHS website at http://www.
dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NIMS-90-web.pdf
for the full NIMS document.
National Response Plan (NRP): The NRP
establishes a comprehensive all-hazards approach
to enhance the ability of the United States to
manage domestic incidents. It provides the
basis for federal government coordination with
state, local and tribal governments and the
private sector during incidents. The NRP can
be downloaded from DHS's website at www.dhs.
gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial 0566.
xml.
(
o
Water Security Handbook
55
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(
o
National Environmental Methods Index
for Chemical, Biological and Radiological
Contaminants (NEMI-CBR): NEMI and
CBR Methods Advisor are two tools which will
provide information on chemical, biological
and radiological contaminants and analytical
methods of detection, analysis and identification.
These tools are being developed by the U.S.
EPA. The National Environmental Methods
Index (NEMI) is a free, searchable Internet-
based database of environmental methods that
allows comparison of methods, performance,
cost and other information. NEMI is already
available on the Internet at www.nemi.gov.
NEMI-CBR incorporates the CBR Methods
Advisor, which can help a user to quickly assess
a threat, evaluate the site of the incident, collect
samples and choose the best method for a given
situation when there is limited information
available regarding the possible identity of a
contaminant.
Physician On-Line Reference Guide for
Waterborne Disease: This on-line reference
provides information on water-related diseases
and other medical and health emergency
response information. See the website at www.
WaterHealthConnection.org/index.asp.
Public Health Security and Bioterrorism
Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (also
known as the Bioterrorism Act of 2002): Title
IV of the Act addresses drinking water security
and safety, and required drinking water systems
serving more than 3,300 persons to develop
response measures to incidents that could disrupt
safe water supplies. To learn more, visit the
EPA website on water security legislation and
directives at http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/
watersecurity/legislation.cfm.
Response Guidelines (Response Protocol
Toolbox: Planning For and Responding to
Drinking Water Contamination Threats and
Incidents: Response Guidelines): This EPA
document is a companion to this Handbook
and contains many forms, checklists and
report formats to help a water system organize
information for emergency response planning.
These documents can be downloaded from
EPA's Water Security website at www.epa.gov/
watersecurity.
Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning For and
Responding to Drinking Water Contamination
Threats and Incidents: The EPA developed and
wrote the Toolbox, building on the experience
and expertise of several drinking water utilities,
particularly the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California. Organized in modular
format, the Toolbox assists with emergency
response preparedness and will be of value to
drinking water utilities, laboratories, emergency
responders, state drinking water programs,
technical assistance providers and public
health and law enforcement officials. It can be
downloaded at www.epa.gov/watersecurity.
Security Information Collaborative A Guide
for Water Utilities: This short (40-page)
booklet, developed by the EPA, describes how
water and wastewater utilities can form beneficial
collaboratives to share information on water
security. Case studies are combined with step-by-
step suggestions for utilities to coordinate with
key water security partners. The booklet may be
downloaded from the EPA's National Homeland
Security Research Center's publications website at
www.epa.gov/nhsrc/pubs.htm.
Standardized Analytical Methods far Use
During Homeland Security Events: This
comprehensive compendium of analytical
methods was developed by the EPA for
use during an intentional contamination
event. The document, EPA Publication No.
EPA/600/R-04/126, is available from the EPA
NHSRC website at: www.epa.gov/nhsrc/pubs/
reportSAM092904.pdf.
56
Water Security Handbook
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U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of
Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID): This Army
lab conducts research on infectious diseases. For
more information, visit their website at www.
usamriid.army.mil/ or write to: Commander,
USAMRIID, 1425 Porter Street, Frederick, MD
21702-5011.
U.S. Technical Support Working Group
(TSWG): The TSWG is a federal working
group that provides information on security
products and tools, such as the U.S. Department
of Energy's 21 Steps to Improve Cyber Security of
SCADA Networks. This document and other
useful products can be downloaded from the
TSWG's website at www.tswg.gov/tswg.
Water Contaminant Information Tool
(WCIT): EPA developed WCIT, which is a
secure on-line database that provides information
on contaminants of concern for water security.
To learn more about WCIT, download the
WCIT Fact Sheet from EPA's water security
publications website at http://cfpub.epa.gov/
safewater/watersecurity/tools.cfm or connect to
the WCIT website at www.epa.gov/wcit. Access
to the WCIT database is controlled.
<1>
O
Water Information Sharing and Analysis ^
Center (WaterlSAC): This is a water security
information-sharing system which is accessible
via a website at www.waterisac.org. The
WaterlSAC website has a public portion and
a secure membership-only portion available to
subscribing utility personnel. WaterlSAC is
designed for disseminating alerts and warnings,
receiving incident reports and sharing water-
related information among water and wastewater
utilities.
Water Security Channel (WaterSC): WaterSC
is a free service of the WaterlSAC which
was designed to disseminate basic security
information, as developed by the federal
government, via e-mail and a secure website. To
sign up, visit www.watersc.org.
Water Security Handbook 57
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List of Contacts for States, Commonwealths, and Territories
State
Alabama
Alaska
American
Samoa
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of
Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Guam
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Drinking Water Program Website
Department of Environmental Management: Water Supply Branch
http://www.adem.state.al.us/WaterDivision/Drinking/DWMainInfo.htm
Department of Environmental Conservation: Drinking Water Program
httt>://www.state.ak.us/dec/eh/dw/
Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.ffov/Reffion9/cross pr/islands/samoa.html
Department of Environmental Quality: Safe Drinking Water Program
http://www.azdeq.ffov/environ/water/dw/index.html
Department of Health: Division of Engineering
http://www.healthvarkansas.com/eng/
Department of Health Services: Division of Drinking Water and
Environmental Managementhttp://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/ddwem/
technical / dwp / dwpindex.htm
Department of Public Health and Environment: Drinking Water Program
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/wq/Drinking Water/Drinking Water
Program Home.htm
Department of Public Health: Drinking Water Section
http://www.dph.state.ct.us/BRS/Water/DWD.htm
Department of Health and Social Services: Division of Public Health
http: / /www.dhss. delaware.gov/dhss/dph/about.html
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3
http: / / www.epa.ffov/reff3wapd/drinkinffwater/DCdrinkinff /index.htm
Department of Environmental Protection: Drinking Water Program
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/drinkingwater/index.htm
Department of Natural Resources: Water Resources Branch
http://www.gaepd.org/Documents/index water wrb.html
Environmental Protection Agency: Water Programs Division
htto://www.ffu ameoa.ffovffuam.net/orofframs/water/sdw.html
Department of Health: Environmental Health Division, Safe Drinking
Water Branch http://www.hawaii.gov/health/environmental/water/
sdwb/index.html
Department of Environmental Quality: Drinking Water Program, Water
Quality Division http://www.deq.state.id.us/water/prog issues/
drinking water/overview.cfm
Environmental Protection Agency: Bureau of Water, Division of Public
Water Supplies htto://www.eoa.state.il.us/water/index.html
Department of Environmental Management: Drinking Water Branch
http://www.in.gov/idem/water/dwb/
Department of Natural Resources: Water Supply Program
http://www.iowadnr.com/water/drinkinff/index.html
Department of Health and Environment: Bureau of Water, Public Water
Supply Section http://www.kdhe.state.ks.us/pws/
Department for Environmental Protection: Division of Water
http: / /www. water.ky.gov/dw/
Phone
Number
(334) 271-7700
(907) 269-7647
(684) 633-2304
(602) 771-2300
(800) 234-5677
(501) 661-2623
(916)449-5577
(303) 692-3500
(860) 509-7333
(888) 459-2943
(302) 744-4700
(215)814-5781
(850) 245-8336
(404) 657-5947
(888) 373-5947
(671) 475-1638
(808) 586-4258
(208) 373-0289
(217) 785-8653
(317)232-8603
(800)451-6027
(515)725-0282
(785) 296-5503
(502) 564-3410
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State
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New
Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North
Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
Drinking Water Program Website
Office of Public Health: Safe Drinking Water Program
http://www.oph.dhh.louisiana.gov/engineerservice/safewater/
Maine Department of Health and Human Services: Drinking Water
Program http://www.state.me.us/dhs/eng/water/
Department of the Environment: Water Supply Program
http://wAvw.mde.state.md.us/Programs/WaterPrograms/Water
Supply /index.asp
Department of Environmental Protection: Drinking Water Program
http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking.htm
Department of Environmental Quality: Water Bureau
http://www.michigan.gov/deq/04607 ,7-135-3313 3675 rOO.html
Department of Health: Drinking Water Protection Section
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/index.html
Department of Health: Water Supply Division
http://www.msdh. state.ms.us/msdhsite/_static/44,0,76.html
Department of Natural Resources: Water Protection Program
http://wAvw.dnr.mo.gov/wpscd/wpcp/index.html
Department of Environmental Quality: Public Water Supply Program
htto://www.dea.state.mt.us/wainfo/Index.aso
Department of Health and Human Services: Public Water Supply
Program htto://www.hhs.state.ne.us/enh/owsindex.htm
State Health Division: Safe Drinking Water Program
http: / /ndep.nv.gov/bsdw/index.htm
Department of Environmental Services: Water Division
http: / /www.des.state.nh.us/wseb /
Department of Environmental Protection: Water Supply Administration
http: / /www.state.nj .us /dep /watersupply/
Environment Department: Drinking Water Bureau:
htto://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/dwb/dwbtoo.html
New York State Department of Health: Drinking Water Protection
Program htto://www.health.state.nv.us/nvsdoh/water/main.htm
Department of Environment and Natural Resources: Public Water
Supply Section http://www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/pws/
Department of Health: Division of Municipal Facilities, Drinking
Water Program http://www.health.state.nd.us/MF/index.html
Environmental Protection Agency: Division of Drinking and Ground
Water http://wAvw.epa.state.oh.us/ddagW/
Department of Environmental Quality: Water Quality Division
htto: / /www.dea .state.ok.us / WODnew/index.htm
Department of Human Services: Drinking Water Program
htto://ore2ron.arov/DHS/oh/dwo/index.shtml
Department of Environmental Protection: Office of Water Management
http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/watermgmt/site/default.asp
Department of Health: Public Water Supply Supervision Program
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo/pr.htm
Department of Health: Office of Drinking Water Quality
http://www.health.ri.gov/environment/dwq/index.php
Phone
Number
(225) 765-5038
(207) 287-2070
(410) 537-3000
(800) 633-6101
(617) 292-5500
(517) 335-4176
(651)201-4700
(601) 576-7518
(573) 751-1300
(800) 361-4827
(406) 444-4071
(402) 471-0521
(402) 471-2541
(775) 687-9515
(603)271-2513
(609) 292-5550
(505) 476-8625
(877) 654-8720
(518)402-7650
(919)733-2321
(701) 328-5257
(614) 644-2752
(405) 702-8100
(971) 673-0405
(717) 772-4018
(787) 754-6010
(401) 222-6867
Water Security Handbook
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State
South
Carolina
South
Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Virgin
Islands
(U.S.)
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Drinking Water Program Website
Department of Health and Environmental Control: Drinking Water
Program http://www.scdhec.net/eqc/water/
Department of Environment and Natural Resources: Drinking Water
Program http://www.state.sd.us/denr/des/drinking/dwprg.htm
Department of Environment and Conservation: Division of Water Supply
http: / /www.state.tn.us/environment/dws/
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
http://wwAv.tceq.state.tx.us/nav/util water/
Department of Environmental Quality: Division of Drinking Water
http: / /www.drinkingwater.utah.gov/
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Water Supply Division
http: / / www.anr.state.vt. us /dec /watersup /wsd.htm
Department of Health: Office of Drinking Water
http://www.vdh.state.va.us/dw/
Department of Planning and Natural Resources: Division of
Environmental Protection http://dpnr.gov.vi/dep /PublicWaterSup.htm
Division of Environmental Health: Office of Drinking Water
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/dw/
Bureau for Public Health: Department of Health and Human Resources
http://wwAv.wvdhhr.org/oehs/eed/
Department of Natural Resources: Bureau of Drinking Water and
Ground Water http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/dwg/index.htm
EPA Region 8: Wyoming Drinking Water Program
http: / / www.epa.gov/region08 /water /dwhome /wycon /wycon.html
Phone
Number
(803) 898-4300
(888) 481-0125
(605) 773-3754
(615) 532-0191
(512)239-4691
(801) 536-4200
(802) 241-3400
(800) 823-6500
(804) 864-7500
(340) 774-3320
(340) 773-1082
(360) 236-3100
(304) 558-6715
(608) 266-0821
(307) 777-7072
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List of EPA Regional Contacts
EPA Region
EPA Region 1
EPA Region 2
EPA Region 3
EPA Region 4
EPA Region 5
EPA Region 6
EPA Region 7
EPA Region 8
EPA Region 9
EPA Region 10
EPA Region Website
http://www.epa.gov/NE/eco/drinkwater/dw-security.html
http: / /www.epa.gov/region2/water/
http: / / www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/
http://www.epa.gov/region4/water/
http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/
http: / / www.epa.gov/Arkansas/6wq /swp /security/
http://wAvw.epa.gov/region7/security/index.htm
http://www.epa.gov/region8/compliance/securitv/secure.html
http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/
http://vosemite.epa.gov/R10 /WATER.NSF/webpage/Water+Issue
s+in+Region+10
Phone
Number
(617) 918-1694
(212) 637-3879
(215) 814-5668
(404) 562-9446
(312) 886-0190
(214) 665-2776
(913) 551-7585
(303) 312-7021
(415) 947-8707
(206) 553-1389
Water Security Handbook
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(Planning and Preparation )
Threat Warning
Initial Threat Evaluation
Immediate Operational
Response Actions
Site Characterization
and Sampling
u
Public Health
Response Actions
Remediation and Recovery
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
Washington, D.C. 20460
EPA Publication No. 817-B-06-001
www.epa.gov/watersecurity
April, 2006
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