oEPA
Incident Action Checklist - Power Outages
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For ori-the-go convenience, the actions in this checklist are divided into three "rip & run" sections and are examples of
activities that drinking water and wastewater utilities can take to prepare for, respond to and recover from power outages.
You can also populate the "My Contacts" section with critical information that your utility may need during a power outage.
Power Outages and Water Utilities
The loss of electric power can have profound impacts on drinking water and wastewater utilities. Sometimes
the loss of power can be caused by events that can be predicted in advance such as hurricanes or ice storms.
Other power outages, such as those caused by earthquakes, cyber incidents or space weather may occur
with little or no notice. In California, the Public Safety Power Shutoff program allows electric companies to
proactively shut off grid power to customers, including water utilities, to reduce fire ignition potential in high risk
areas when extreme conditions present a clear and imminent danger to public safety.
The impacts of losing grid power at drinking water and wastewater utilities may include pressure losses and
boil water advisories, a reduction or cessation of water treatment, sewage back up and the discharge of
untreated sewage into public right of ways, rivers and streams. The consequences of these impacts on the
community could be devastating:
•	Firefighters would not be able to access water from
hydrants.
•	Local healthcare facilities and hospitals may have to
evacuate patients or close.
•	Restaurants and businesses may have to close, resulting
in economic losses.
Homes, businesses and healthcare facilities may
become unsanitary and uninhabitable.
Environmental damage could occur.
There are many steps drinking water and wastewater utilities can take to obtain backup power and ensure that
their lifeline services continue as long as possible during grid power outages.
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Preparing for the Loss of Power During Hurricanes
New Hanover County, North Carolina
When Hurricane Florence struck New Hanover County in September 2018, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority
(CFPUA) was ready: facility and vehicle fuel tanks were topped off (a standard practice for CFPUA, especially
in advance of a hurricane); generator run times and fuel capacities were calculated to help ensure continuity
of operations under back-up power; facility power specifications and requirements were uploaded to the US
Army Corps of Engineer's Emergency Power Facility Assessment Tool (EPFAT); and, CFPUA implemented its
established emergency fuel supply contract.
With four major treatment plants, 150 pump stations and dozens of groundwater well sites, all facilities were
preemptively running on emergency generator power when tropical storm force winds made landfall. When the full
force of the hurricane struck, ninety percent of the county and all CFPUA facilities lost grid power. The emergency
generators did their job of maintaining power to all critical facilities and equipment.
Still, these preparations were almost not enough when the fuel supplier was unable to fulfill its contract. During
the hurricane, the supplier lost grid power and had no redundancy. Business employees had evacuated and there
were not enough drivers to dedicate themselves to supplying fuel to CFPUA.
Working with the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), CFPUA was able to obtain fuel from a terminal
at the North Carolina State Port. Determining a vendor's ability to maintain business continuity was identified
as a planning gap in the utility's after-action report. In the aftermath of Florence, CFPUA increased fuel storage
capacity by contracting for seasonal fuel tanks, purchasing additional saddle tanks for vehicles and requiring
emergency fuel vendors to have backup power on-site. The utility also purchased its own 2,800-gallon fuel truck to
ensure it can pick up and deliver fuel at any time.
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Actions to Prepare for a Power Outage
Planning	
I I Create and maintain an emergency response
plan and a business continuity plan for all critical
system components.
~	Develop plans that specifically address actions
to be taken during power outages; plans should
address both short-duration and long-duration
outages.
~	Develop and issue standard operating
procedures to manage power outages.
~	Know your system; have a plan for stationary
and portable generators. Make sure, if possible,
that generators are pre-staged at locations when
an event can be expected to potentially affect
one or more of your stations.
I I Develop roles and responsibilities for staff
before, during and after a power outage,
including appropriate communication protocols.
Coordination	
~ Get to know key staff at your electric
utility, especially your designated account
representative, if assigned one. Learn if circuits
(e.g., power transmission lines or electric service
area zone) serving your utility are in high risk fire
areas, such as in the western states.
EH Obtain 24/7 emergency contact information
for your electric utility and local emergency
management agency and plan together for
power outage events.
EH For a Public Safety Power Shutoff, confirm
with your electric provider and local emergency
management agency the communication method
and timing (e.g., 72 hours before the shutoff) by
which you will be notified of a planned outage.
~	Determine where your treatment facility and key
pumping stations rank on the prioritization list
for power restoration. Try to get as high on the
list as possible by making sure the list manager
understands the reliance of the community (e.g.,
fire protection, hospitals, shelters and sensitive
populations) on drinking water and wastewater
services.
~	Make sure your electric utility has the actual
street addresses and locations of your treatment
facilities and pumping stations. In case street
signs are damaged or lost, also include latitude
and longitude positions. Decimal latitude/
longitude positions should be recorded with a
value six digits to the right of the decimal point.
~	Learn what alternative communication methods
(e.g., 2-way radios, ham radio operators, satellite
phones) are available in your community.
~	Join your state's Water and Wastewater Agency
Response Network (WARN).
~	Develop an approved notification procedure for
communicating boil water advisories, water use
restrictions and other information to customers
during a power outage (e.g., precautionary boil
water notices, reverse 911).
~	Develop standard written notification templates
to quickly send alerts in emergencies. Ensure
customer information is regularly updated.
I I Participate in local, state and federal emergency
preparedness exercises.
Generators and Bypass Pumps
~ Conduct a power assessment to determine your
utility's critical facility backup power requirements.
The assessment should provide the kilowatt,
voltage, and phase(s) of any required generators.
It should also include a basic order of connection
materials needed (e.g., number and length
of cables to connect generator, number and
size of lugs to connect cable runs) and to what
location within each facility's electrical system the
generator needs to be connected.
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Actions to Prepare for a Power Outage (continued)
EH Ensure generators and associated electrical
connection points are always accessible to
qualified personnel.
~	Determine lift station bypass capabilities and
needed pump sizes, hoses and connections.
~	Enter your generator needs into the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers' Emergency Power Facility
Assessment Tool (EPFAT) and keep a copy of
your power assessment information with your
emergency response plan.
~	Install transfer switches (automatic or manual
depending on mode of operation) and quick-
connect plugs to connect your facility's electrical
equipment to generators.
~	Purchase generators and bypass pumps
or develop plans to obtain them through a
contractor or mutual aid agreement to be
utilized during a power outage. Be sure any
contract includes wording that you are a priority
customer. Consider renting generators in
advance of hurricane or fire season.
~	Maintain your generator(s) according to the
manufacturer's recommendations and annually
exercise generators under full load. Identify
maintenance requirements and arrange for
specialized support as necessary.
I I Keep basic maintenance supplies on hand (e.g.,
Diesel Emissions Fluid (DEF), coolant, belts, oil,
fuel filters).
I I Keep small generators and variable frequency
drives (VFDs) on trailers for easy transport
during emergencies and maintain the trailers,
especially the tires.
I I Develop transportation routes and a rotation plan
for facilities if there are not enough generators or
bypass pumps available for each facility.
r Notes:
Fuel 	
~	Know the pros and cons of the various fuel
types.
~	Calculate how much fuel is needed to operate
each generator and bypass pump for one day
and determine your total on-site fuel storage. Be
sure to include DEF requirements, as applicable.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses the
following formula to determine the approximate
generator fuel consumption for a 24-hour period:
Generator kW size x 0.07 gallons/hour/kW x 24
hours.
~	Develop a fuel management plan that
includes fuel polishing and fuel additives (e.g.,
algaecides). Because of potential fuel quality
issues, consider stocking extra fuel filters.
~	Have contracts with multiple fuel vendors and
check their ability to pump and move fuel during
a power outage. Be sure these contracts include
wording that you are a priority customer.
~	Have multiple options to move fuel during an
emergency, possibly including tanks mounted on
utility owned vehicles.
~	Monitor fuel tank levels and refill when they fall
below a defined level so that tanks are as full as
possible for a no-notice power outage.
~	If a storm or other emergency situation is
predicted, fill vehicle, equipment and fuel storage
tanks to capacity. Have an alternate plan for
pumping from fuel storage tanks if their pumps
operate on grid power only.
~	Work with your city, county and state to develop
an area wide emergency operations fuel
acquisition and distribution plan.
I I If applicable, establish contacts at your natural
gas utility and learn about their response and
recovery plans.
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Actions to Respond to a Power Outage
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Notifications 	
EH Immediately notify your electric utility and local
emergency management agency of power
outages impacting your facilities. Inform them of:
how long you can sustain operations
without grid power
• the consequences to the community of the
loss or reduction of water and wastewater
services (e.g., a possible reduction in fire
protection)
Know water storage and wet well capacities for
determining when storage will be exhausted.
~	Maintain contact with your electric utility provider
to obtain power outage duration estimates.
~	Notify your regulatory or primacy agency if
operations and/or water quality or quantity are
affected by a power outage, if your utility is
running on generator power and what your fuel
status is.
~	Notify the public of any boil water notices or
water use restrictions.
~	As needed, request generators and fuel through
your WARN, other mutual aid networks and/or
the local emergency operations center (EOC).
Once your need is met, be sure to cancel any
outstanding requests.
~	Implement pre-developed emergency response
and communications plans.
Generators 	
EH Monitor power quality and proactively switch to
generators if there is poor power quality, which
can damage equipment.
EH Ensure that generators are connected by
qualified personnel.
EH Use backup generators, as needed, to supply
power to critical facilities.
EH Transport small generators on trailers and
address operations, security and logistics (e.g.,
maintenance, fuel, parts) for mobile generators.
EH Establish a schedule for maintenance, fuel
checks and refueling for each generator, and
ensure scheduled maintenance is regularly
completed. The standard service interval is
240 operational hours or after every 10 days
of continuous operations. Be sure to plan for
redundancy as in most events there is over 10%
failure of backup equipment.
EH Consult with air quality agencies as necessary
for emergency waivers for prolonged use of
certain kinds of generators.
EH Ensure sufficient personnel are available and
cross-trained to serve as generator operators.
Smaller utilities may need pre-arranged
emergency service contracts with qualified
electricians or to work with their WARN.
r Notes:
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Actions to Respond to a Power Outage (continued)
Fuel
~	Constantly monitor fuel quality and needs
and coordinate fuel deliveries to generators. If
possible, shut down generator during refueling.
~	Shut down generators based on operational
conditions to conserve fuel.
~	Consider cancelling any non-essential trips in
utility administrative vehicles to prolong your fuel
reserves.
~	Adjust climate control systems and any other
large electrical uses at critical facilities to prolong
generator run times.
~	Implement staff carpooling to and from work
where possible.
Operations	
~	Plan for and be prepared to reduce levels of
service across the system or in pressure zones
incrementally; plans should include actions taken
to restore operations to normal levels.
~	Be prepared to operate components of your
utility manually without the aid of computerized
systems.
~	Implement plans, procedures or agreements to
provide alternate drinking water as necessary.
~	If possible, switch to source water with less
power intensive requirements.
~	Consider use of interties and emergency
connections with neighboring utilities unaffected
by the power disruption.
Documentation 	
~ Document all damage assessments, mutual
aid requests, emergency repair work, fuel
and equipment used, purchases made, staff
hours worked and contractors used during the
response to assist in requesting reimbursement
and applying for federal disaster funds. When
possible, take photographs of damage at
each work site (with time and date stamp).
Proper documentation is critical to requesting
reimbursement.
r Notes:
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Actions to Recover from a Power Outage
Coordination
Fuel
~	Check with your electric utility to make sure that
all three phases of power are available before
switching back to grid power. When power is
restored, not all three phases may be initially
available, which can damage three-phase
equipment.
~	Follow set procedures for taking your facilities off
generator power and back onto grid power.
~	Conduct an after-action discussion with utility
staff to identify portions of the response that
went well and areas for improvement.
~	Share key after-action items and lessons learned
with your electric utility provider, emergency
management agency and other response
partners (e.g., fuel vendors).
Notifications 	
~	Revise or lift (as applicable) any water use
advisories that were put in place during the
outage.
~	Update your status with your regulatory or
primacy agency and your local emergency
management agency.
~	Notify utility staff that any energy consumption
restrictions that may have been put into place
are now lifted.
Generators 	
EH Perform any necessary maintenance or repairs
on generators.
EH Consider testing your generator oil for signs of
metal, which could indicate engine wear and the
need for repairs.
EH If a generator is serviced or repaired, be sure to
test it under load after work is complete.
~	Clean tanks as necessary and polish on-hand
fuel supply as time allows.
~	Refill tanks as necessary. Stabilize fuel.
~	Establish new fuel vendor contracts as
applicable.
~	Assess your on-site fuel storage and adjust as
necessary.
Documentation 	
~	Compile damage assessment forms and cost
documentation into a single report to facilitate
the sharing of information and the completion
of state and federal funding applications.
Visit EPA's web-based tool, Federal Funding
for Utilities—Water/Wastewater—in National
Disasters (Fed FUNDS), for tailored information
and application forms for various federal
disaster funding programs: http://water.epa.gov/
infrastructure/watersecuritv/fundina/fedfunds/.
~	Develop a lessons learned document and/or
an after action report (AAR) to keep a record
of your response activities. Update your risk
assessment, emergency response plans and
contingency plans.
Notes:
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My Contacts and Resources
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CONTACT NAME	UTILITY/ORGANIZATION NAME	PHONE NUMBER

Electric Utility


City emergency management


County emergency management


Fuel provider


Generator service provider


Licensed electrician


WARN Chair


Local Health Department


State Primacy Agency


State emergency management
















Resources
•	Power Resilience Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities (EPA)
•	Emergency Power Facility Assessment Tool (USACE)
•	Connecting Water Utilities and Emergency Management Agencies (EPA)
•	Water and Wastewater Agency Response Network (EPA)
•	Federal Funding for Utilities—Water/Wastewater—in National Disasters (Fed FUNDS^ (EPA)
Office of ater (4608-T) EPA817-F-19-005 October 2019
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