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Water Security Division Products and Services List
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Water Security Division (WSD) has developed a
robust suite of products and services to improve the resilience of the water sector to all types of hazards.
WSD resources can be found at www.epa.gov/waterresilience. Direct links to specific tools and resources
are provided below.
Products are organized by topic: America's Water Infrastructure Act, Assess Risks, Emergency
Preparedness, Laboratory Support, Risk Communication, Mutual Aid and Assistance, Training and
Exercises, Emergency Response and Recovery. The following product, Route to Resilience, incorporates
the critical stages of resiliency and can assist water and wastewater utilities in locating the appropriate
services to fulfill their needs.
Route to Resilience (RtoR)
RtoR helps small and medium sized drinking water and wastewater
utilities learn more about becoming resilient to all-hazards. The
interactive desktop application guides utilities through five stops
along the Route to Resilience - Assess, Plan, Train, Respond, and
Recover - and provides users with a custom report that highlights
specific products and tools.
America's Water
Infrastructure Act (AWIA)
Sections 2013
and 2018
AWIA tools and resources can assist
drinking water systems in conducting a
risk and resilience assessment and
developing or updating an emergency
response plan. Spanish versions of
AWIA resources can be found here
and are denoted with an asterisk (*).
AWIA Risk and Resilience Assessment and Emergency Response
Plan Fact Sheet. - Provides an overview of the new risk and resilience
assessment and emergency response plan (ERP) requirements for
Community Water Systems (CWSs) serving a population greater than
3,300.
AWIA Small System Risk and Resilience Assessment Checklist -
Provides guidance for small CWSs to comply with the requirements for
risk and resilience assessments under AWIA. *
AWIA Section 2013 Technical Assistance Primer - Provides
information to technical assistance providers, circuit riders and others
who will assist utilities in complying with the AWIA risk and resilience
assessment, ERP, and EPA certification requirements.
US EPA | Water Security Division
•	Baseline Information on Malevolent Acts for Community Water
Systems - Assists utilities in estimating the likelihood of credible
threats to their water system.
•	Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool 2.0 (VSAT Web 2.01 - Assists
utilities in assessing the potential impacts from both man-made and
natural disasters in accordance with AWIA requirements and provides
actions to enhance security and resilience.
•	ERP Template and Guidance - Assists utilities in creating an ERP in
accordance with AWIA requirements. *
•	AWIA Section 2018 Factsheet for the Water Sector - Discusses the
amendments to the Emergency Planning Community Right to Know
Act (EPCRA) under AWIA Section 2018.
Products and Services List I April 2021
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Assess Risks
Risk assessment tools can assist
water and wastewater utilities in
identifying potential threats and
vulnerabilities.
•	Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) -
Under the Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative, this
tool is a risk assessment application that helps utilities to adapt to
extreme weather events by better understanding current and long-
term weather conditions.
•	Resilient Strategies Guide and Case Study and Information
Exchange Map - Under the CRWU initiative, these products assist
utilities in developing climate resilience plans that address their
specific needs and priorities, along with providing information on
what other utilities are doing to build and improve their climate
resilience.
•	Water Health and Economic Analysis Tool (WHEAT') - Helps
utility owners and operators to better understand the human
health and economic consequences of potential disasters.
•	Water Quality Surveillance and Response System (SRS) - Helps
drinking water utilities detect and respond to water quality problems -
including contamination - in their distribution system or source water.
•	SRS Capabilities Assessment Tool - Helps drinking water utilities
assess existing SRS capabilities and develop potential enhancements
to meet specific goals for water quality surveillance and response.
•	Water Sector Cvbersecuritv Brief for States - Assists state technical
assistance providers with assessing cybersecurity practices at water
and wastewater systems and developing an improvement plan to
reduce cyber risks.
Emergency
Preparedness
Water and wastewater utilities can
build resilience by planning for
emergencies before they occur.
WSD has developed both hazard-
specific and generalized products to
help utilities prepare for disasters.
•	Flood Resilience Guide - Helps drinking water and wastewater
utilities understand local flooding threats and identify practical
solutions to protect critical assets.
•	Drought Response and Recovery Guide - Helps drinking water and
wastewater utilities identify key drought preparedness and response
actions to address both short-term drought impacts and long-term
drought resilience with a user-friendly guide and accompanying
case studies.
•	Earthguake Resilience Products - Helps drinking water and
wastewater utilities understand the earthquake threat and identify
practical solutions to protect critical assets using an easy-to-use
guide, video, and interactive maps.
•	Power Resilience Guide and Public Safety Power Shutoff Standard
Operating Procedure Template - Assists drinking water and
wastewater utilities in identifying and implementing key actions to
improve resilience to power outages.
•	A Critical Connection: The Water and Healthcare/Public Health
Sectors - Provides information on building relationships,
coordinating water use advisories, and partnering with Poison
Control Centers.
•	Connecting Water Utilities and Emergency Management
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Agencies - Summarizes best practices for how water utilities can
work with emergency management agencies to increase
coordination and better respond to emergencies.
Guidance for Responding to Drinking Water Contamination
Incidents - Provides information to help drinking water utilities
prepare for distribution system contamination incidents.
Planning for an Emergency Drinking Water Supply (EDWS) -
Prepares drinking water and wastewater utilities for large-scale
disasters by developing an EDWS plan.
State EDWS Plan Instructions and Template - Provides a template
and instructions that can be used by state drinking water primacy
agencies as a starting point in the development of a state-wide
EDWS Plan.
Laboratory Support
Laboratories provide vital
emergency response services
during a contamination incident.


US EPA | Water Security Division
Analytical Preparedness Full Scale Exercise Toolkit - Provides
states, water utilities, and laboratories the tools and training
necessary to conduct an exercise that involves coordinating
laboratory support during a contamination incident.
Analytical Preparedness Self-Assessment - Seeks to increase
stakeholder preparedness to respond to analytical needs arising from
water contamination events by enhancing awareness of EPA water
security tools and resources.
WLA Response Plan - Outlines processes and procedures that can
help individuals lead a coordinated laboratory response during water
contamination incidents.
Water Laboratory Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP') - Prepares
laboratories for continued service during an emergency by developing
a Continuityof Operations Plan (COOP), using available templates
and instructions.
Accessing Laboratory Support Tool - Shows users how to obtain
support at the local, state, regional, and federal levels using tips,
references and a one-page summary resource.
Sampling Guidance for Unknown Contaminants in Drinking Water -
Provides recommended procedures for the collection, storage,
preservation, and transportation of potentially contaminated water,
as well as monitoring, detection, and identification
recommendations.
Guidance for Building Laboratory Capabilities to Respond to Drinking
Water Contamination - Provides guidance for water utilities wishing
to build laboratory capabilities for response to water contamination. It
identifies contaminant classes of concern, lists analytical methods,
and provides information on the role of laboratory networks in
responding to contamination.
Guidance for Building Field Capabilities to Respond to Drinking
Water Contamination - Provides guidance to help water utilities plan
for sample collection, water quality parameter testing, and other field
activities during the response to a contamination incident.
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oEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
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Risk Communication
Communicating with the public prior to
and during an emergency can help to
mitigate public health and economic
impacts.
•	Water Utility Public Awareness Kit - Includes customizable print,
web, and video materials that drinking water and wastewater utilities
can use to inform customers about the value of water services,
threats to water systems, and actions that households can take to
prepare for service disruptions.
•	Developing Risk Communication Plans for Drinking Water
Contamination Incidents - Helps utilities develop and implement an
effective Risk Communication Plan to respond to drinking water
contamination incidents.
•	Community-Based Water Resiliency Guide - Helps utilities and
community members to understand the community's resilience
to water service disruptions and describes tools and resources
that can be used to enhance resilience.
Mutual Aid and
Assistance
During an emergency, "utilities
helping utilities" can be an efficient
way to access needed resources.
•	Water and Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN)
Resources - Provides videos, guidance documents, and model
agreements to help water and wastewater utilities build or strengthen
their mutual aid and assistance networks.
•	WARN Promotional Video - highlights key aspects of the WARN
program and can be played at conferences and meetings.
Training and Exercises
Training and exercises provide
utilities with opportunities to learn
more about resilience and practice
response actions.
•	Water/Wastewater All Hazards Boot Camp Training: Emergency
Planning. Response, and Recover - Provides users with the
fundamentals of water sector resilience and resources for a
comprehensive all-hazards program. The training is approved for
operator continuing education credit in some states.
•	Tabletop Exercise (TOO Tool for Water Systems - Provides users
with the resources to plan, conduct, and evaluate tabletop exercises
that focus on water sector-related incidents and challenges.
•	SRS Exercise Development Toolbox (EDT - Guides users through
the steps of designing exercises based on realistic contamination
scenarios.
•	Incident Command System (ICS") Refresher Trainings - Provides an
overview of the ICS specifically for water and wastewater utility
personnel using pre-recorded training webinars.
•	How to Develop a Multi-year Training and Exercise Plan: A Tool for
the Water Sector - Provides a template and walks drinking water and
wastewater utilities through the process of developing a multi-year
training and exercise plan.
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United States
Environmental Protection
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Emergency Response
Water and wastewater utilities can
use these tools to improve
response to an emergency.
•	Water Utility Response On-The-Go (QTG) Api - Enhances and
mobilizes disaster response by providing easy access to severe
weather information, key emergency contacts, emergency checklists,
damage assessment forms and ICS resources. Search "EPA Response
On The Go" in the App Store or Google Play.
•	Water Sector Incident Action Checklists - Provides res ponders with
simple, concise checklists that provide key actions to take before,
during, and after an incident or natural disaster; includes checklists for
drought, extreme heat and cold, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes,
flooding, tsunami, hurricanes, volcanic activity, power outage, pandemic,
cybersecurity and harmful algal blooms.
•	Water Contaminant Information Tool (WCI* - Connects users with a
database with information on over 800 drinking water contaminants
including pathogens, pesticides, and toxic industrial chemicals. During
a contamination incident, WCIT can aid in decision making.
Recovery
Following an emergency, drinking
water and wastewater utilities can
use these resources to assist in
recovery.
•	Federal Funding for Utilities in National Disasters (Fed FUNDS) -
Provides a collection of resources and information for federal disaster
funding programs intended for water and wastewater utilities.
•	Public Assistance for Water and Wastewater Utilities in
Emergencies and Disasters - Provides information about water
and wastewater utilities' eligibility for disaster funds under the
Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Public
Assistance Grant Program.
•	Reimbursement Tips for Water Sector Emergency Response and
Recovery - Provides simple tips that drinking water and wastewater
utilities can use to maximize reimbursement through local, state, or
federal level mechanisms.
•	Hazard Mitigation for Natural Disasters: A Starter Guide for Water and
Wastewater Utilities - Assists water and wastewater utilities on how to
mitigate against the impacts of natural disasters and encourages
collaboration with local mitigation planners to implement priority
projects using FEMA or other funding sources.
•	Maintaining or Restoring Water Quality in Buildings with Low or No
Use - Provides information for building owners/managers and
businesses to maintain and restore the water quality in their buildings
while these structures are closed or unoccupied following an
emergency.
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