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science in ACTION
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
U.S. EPA's Homeland Security
Research Program
U.S. EPA's Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP)
provides scientific solutions that:
• Improve water utilities' abilities to prepare for and
respond to all hazards incidents that threaten public
health.
• Advance EPA's capabilities to respond to wide area
chemical, biological or radiological contamination
incidents, including those resulting from terrorism or
natural disasters.
This research program strengthens the resiliency of our
communities. The program provides water utility
managers, on-scene coordinators, laboratory technicians,
risk assessors, and emergency responders with technical
resources to prepare for, to respond to, and more rapidly
recover from all types of environmental disasters.These
resources include scientific tools, methodologies and
technologies, and technical support.
HSRP is organized under three major research topics:
• Characterizing Contamination and Assessing
Exposure
• Water System Security and Resilience
• Remediating Wide Area Contamination Incidents
The research performed under these topics is designed
to address the interconnected nature of a response
(shown in the response system diagram - the red
explosion is the incident), A better understanding of
these connections leads to research-based
recommendations that result in effective operations and
fewer unintended consequences.
Reduce
Vulnerabilities
Lessons Learned and
Preplanning
Mitigation
Decontamination
& Waste
Management
Characterization
& Risk
Assessment
Response Systems Diagram
Characterizing Contamination and
Assessing Exposure
EPA's Environmental Response Laboratory Network
(ERLN) is a national network of laboratories that can be
accessed to support large scale environmental responses,
like those that would be seen with a wide area
contamination incident. EPA scientists develop sample
collection and analysis methods that increase the
capability and capacity of the ERLN to respond to both
water-related and wide area chemical/
biological/radiological/nuclear (CBRN) contamination
incidents. They supply the science needed to establish
sampling strategies for indoor and outdoor areas. These
sampling strategies are designed to collect the maximum
amount of information regarding the extent of
contamination while minimizing the sampling and
laboratory resources required. The research also
supports risk assessment and risk management decisions,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Office of Research and Development
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Water System Security and
Resilience
Natural or man-made disasters can disrupt water
services and cause public health impacts. EPA
researchers are developing water systems models that
enable utilities to design and operate their water systems
so that they will be more resilient to all disasters.
Researchers are developing approaches for detecting and
responding to a water system contamination event or
other system disruptions to return the system to service
as efficiently as possible. In addition, they are developing
methods to decontaminate water systems and treat
contaminated water. Detailed studies are carried out at
laboratory scale and confirmed in pilot and full scale
water systems.
Remediating Wide Area
Contamination Incidents
Natural, unintentional, or intentional incidents can result
in wide area contamination with CBRN agents or
materials. Cost effective and efficient cleanup (including
waste management) strategies and methods are needed
for rapid recovery of the contaminated area. EPA
researchers are developing methods to decontaminate
indoor and outdoor areas, to treat and dispose of
contaminated materials and residuals, and to ensure
cleanups are successful. Researchers are also assessing
previous cleanups of wide area contamination incidents
to develop recommendations for strategies.
technologies, methods and data improve the resiliency of
our nation by advancing our abilities to face disasters
effectively. For example, a water system that is resilient
will maintain the water supply (or minimize the
downtime) critical to our communities when a disaster,
such as a hurricane, strikes; rapid, effective cleanup of a
contaminated urban center will return the area to active
commerce quickly, minimizing the economic impact. Our
resilience assessment tools will aid communities'
emergency planning so that the impact of environmental
disasters is reduced before it happens. Finally,
researchers also enhance resilience by providing
technical support and translation of our scientific
products to the decision-makers and users in
communities across the country.
For more information about EPA's Homeland
Security Research Program, please visit:
http://www2.epa.gov/homeland-security-research
Contact:
Gregory Sayles, PhD
Acting National Program Director
Homeland Security Research Program
hsrp@epa.gov
Kathy Nickel
nickel.kathy@epa.gov
513-569-7955
Supporting Communities
EPA's homeland security research expands the
capabilities of the Agency and of our communities to
respond to and recover from disasters. Our tools,
EPA/600/S-15/209
August 2015
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Office of Research and Development
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