United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Collaborative State-Level Water Sector
Emergency Response Exercises 2009-2011:
LESSONS LEARNED
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
along with several state drinking water and waste-
water programs, co-sponsored water sector-focused
emergency response tabletop exercises (TTXs) in
2009, 2010, and 2011. These exercises occurred in
Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Mis-
souri, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. The
goal of these exercises was to raise awareness of
the importance of water/wastewater services and the
need for coordinated planning within a state for water
sector-related emergencies. The main objective was
to examine the roles and responsibilities of utilities,
local, state, federal, and other water sector stakehold-
ers and response partners. This factsheet highlights
some of the lessons learned from these exercises.
KEY LESSONS LEARNED
Many of the tabletop exercises identified similar lessons learned that can benefit the water sector within any
state. Key lessons learned from the exercises are summarized below:
• Plan and coordinate with response partners before an incident - Coordination before an
incident occurs and during the incident response ensures that all water sector response partners in a state
will have the situational awareness essential for appropriate response and resource management. Wa-
ter and wastewater utilities should meet with their likely response partners on a regular basis to discuss
their emergency plans and operations. Partners include
local first responders; critical customers; interdepen-
dent sectors such as the power and healthcare sectors;
mutual aid groups; supporting laboratories; suppliers;
local emergency planning committees; local and state
EMAs (including the state Emergency Management As-
sistance Compact coordinator); state primacy agencies
and departments of health and the environment; and
federal partners such as EPA, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (USAGE), and the National Guard. Utilities can engage local EMAs using the check-
list in EPA's "Coordination of the Water and Emergency Services Sectors: An Important Step to Better
Response" (http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/emerplan/upload/epa817k12001.pdf).
Utilities can also conduct exercises with potential response partners and establish relationships in ad-
vance of an incident using EPA's "Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems: Emergency Preparedness,
"Since all incidents/emergencies start and
end at the local level, utilities should reach out
to their Local Emergency Planning Committee
and Emergency Management Agency within
their service area to discuss preparedness
and response to incidents that may affect the
water sector."- Connecticut TTX
Office of Water (4608-T) EPA 817-R-12-005 May2012 www.epa.gov/watersecurity
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1 Collaborative State-Level Water Sector Emergency Response Exercises 2009-2011: Lessons Learned •
Response, and Climate Resiliency (TTX
Tool)" (see http://water.epa.gov/infra-
structure/watersecurity/techtools/ttx.
cfm). State agencies should encour-
age utilities to join their state's Water/
Wastewater Agency Response Network
(WARN) (see www.epa.gov/mutualaid)
and practice using their WARN's opera-
tional plan. Some states have found it
beneficial to set up a water desk or invite
a WARN liaison to the state Emergency
Operations Center in order to better coor-
dinate the levels of water sector response
within a state. Communication with the
public is also imperative. Accurate and
up-to-date public notices are important
following a disaster, but pre-disaster public awareness campaigns highlighting personal preparedness and
self-sufficiency are also critical in order to better manage expectations.
• Be prepared to conduct damage assessments
"The exercise highlighted the role of both
utilities and response partners at all levels
(local/county, state, and federal) in properly
assessing, documenting, and seeking
reimbursement for incident-related expenses
and damages."- Missouri TTX
- Local, state and federal officials depend on regular, ac-
curate, and comparable needs assessments for up-to-
date situational awareness and to help prioritize the use
of resources. Sharing damage assessments among all
water sector response partners can help maintain a
common operating picture, which facilitates collabora-
tive planning and response. Local and state agencies
should encourage utilities to complete pre-incident infrastructure assessments to expedite recovery and
reimbursement for repair or replacement of damaged infrastructure. For more information on pre-incident
assessments and reimbursement, consider EPA's "Reimbursement Tips for Water Sector Emergency
Response and Recovery" (see http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/emerplan/upload/
fs_watersecurity_reimbursementtips_watersectory.pdf). Exercise participants suggested that state
agencies coordinate to develop stan-
dardized forms that all utilities can
use. The forms should include infor-
mation on systems/equipment oper-
ability, facility safety/accessibility, in-
terconnections, source, location, and
population served. Utilities should
consider pre-populating their forms
in order to expedite the paperwork
process. Utilities may need to coor-
dinate with other utilities and local,
county, state, and federal agencies,
and mutual aid/assistance networks
to obtain assistance to perform as-
sessments of their facilities and
equipment.
CITY OF
COLFAX
WASTE WATER
TREATMENT
PLAN!
Office of Water (4608-T) EPA 817-R-12-005 May2012 www.epa.gov/watersecurity
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1 Collaborative State-Level Water Sector Emergency Response Exercises 2009-2011: Lessons Learned •
Be prepared to request resources - The exercises revealed that utilities, as well as local and state
agencies, may not be familiarwith the resource request process and procedures at the local, state or feder-
al levels. Water and wastewater utilities should become familiar with local and state procedures to properly
request the necessary resources for returning to operation after a di-
saster-related service interruption. Utilities should pre-identify the re-
sources that they may need, such as equipment, treatment chemicals,
and additional personnel to help with repairs, conduct sampling, and
perform laboratory analyses to support a surge in demand for these
services. A helpful resource is the American Water Works Association
(AWWA) "Resource Typing Manual" (see the WARN Resources link
on www.NationalWARN.org). State EMAs should use this informa-
tion to pre-identify likely resource requests and pre-script FEMA Ac-
tion Request Forms in order to expedite requests for aid from federal
officials and other states.
"[It is important to] maintain an
accurate, up-to-date tally of
[utility] resources, categorized
according to the NIMS and
AWWA Resource Typing
guidelines, to facilitate the
resource request/deployment
process during emergencies."
- California TTX
Pre-identify backup power requirements
Utilities should also be ready to request emergency
power resources, as this is often the biggest chal-
lenge utilities face. To be well prepared, utilities
should identify their start-up and operational power
requirements, be familiar with generator installation
and operation, test their backup generators regu-
larly, and maintain an adequate fuel supply. Utilities
can use the emergency generator information form
in EPA's "Is Your Water or Wastewater System Pre-
pared? What You Need to Know About Generators"
brochure (see http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/pdf/
pdf_drinking/110331 -generator-brochure.pdf).
• Plan for provision of alternative water supplies
Both utilities and state agencies noted the importance of
developing a plan to provide an alternate drinking water
supply to customers in the event of prolonged service in-
terruptions. Suggested activities include analyzing options
for an alternative water supply such as bottled water, bulk
water, wells, and temporary treatment and distribution sys-
tems. Communities often assume the availability of bottled
water, but suppliers may not be able to reach consumers
if roads are impassible. In addition, bottled water is not
a viable option for essential needs such as medical and/
or commercial HVAC requirements. State EMAs may con-
sider providing bulk water if there are a sufficient number
of certified tankers and a viable system of distribution.
Before temporary systems are used, state primacy agen-
cies must assure that water quality testing is performed
and state drinking water requirements are met. A help-
ful resource is the EPA/AWWA-developed "Planning for
an Emergency Water Supply" (see Water Security Re-
Office of Water (4608-T) EPA 817-R-12-005 May2012 www.epa.gov/watersecurity
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1 Collaborative State-Level Water Sector Emergency Response Exercises 2009-2011: Lessons Learned •
"Facilities and communities should
develop plans to set up temporary
systems for distribution and
collection." - Arkansas TTX
search [Infrastructure Protection link] on http://www.epa.gov/
nhsrc/index.html). This document is complemented by the CDC/
AWWA collaboration on "Emergency Water Supply Planning Guide
for Hospitals and Health Care Facilities" (see http://www.cdc.gov/
healthywater/emergency/drinking_water_advisory/index.html).
Incorporate lessons learned into response plans - Utilities and their response partners should
regularly review and update their emergency response plans (ERPs) and other related plans to include
lessons learned from trainings,
exercises and actual responses.
Planning should cover commu-
nication plans and up-to-date
contact information to facilitate
coordination within organiza-
tions and between response
partners. Prioritization of inter-
dependent sectors, emergency
staffing, debris removal, and
procurement of supplies should
be addressed. Plans should ad-
dress resources required for
damage assessments and detail
procedures for operating when
critical communications and system controls
are disrupted or inoperable. Plans should also "Utility ERPs should address continuity and
consider financial issues, insurance, possible contingency planning; identification of key personnel,
loss of customer revenue, and mitigation and roles< and responsibilities; training for all personnel;
disaster recovery funding opportunities. Utilities and mitigation measures." - Tennessee TTX
and their response partners can incorporate
consequence-specific actions found in "All-Hazard Consequence Management Planning for the Water
Sector" (see http://www.wef.org/uploadedFiles/Access_Water_Knowledge/Water_Security/Water_
Security_PDFs/AII-HazardCMPNovember2009FINAL.pdf).
For Additional Information
To learn more, please visit http://www.epa.gov/watersecurity or contactWSD-outreach@epa.gov.
Office of Water (4608-T) EPA 817-R-12-005 May2012 www.epa.gov/watersecurity
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