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| Background |
Safe
and reliable drinking water is vital to every community. Water utilities
are in the forefront of ensuring that our state’s water systems
are protected against a variety of threats that could affect their
core mission of assuring an uninterrupted supply of safe drinking
water and maintaining an adequate supply of water for fire fighting.
Threats to water systems include:
| Natural
Disasters |
Man-Made
Threats |
| Earthquakes |
Vandalism |
| Floods |
Disgruntled Employee or Customer |
| Severe Storms |
Computer Hacker |
| Drought |
Terrorist |
Recent
federal legislation requires community public water systems serving
populations over 3,300 to complete vulnerability assessments and
revise their emergency response plans based on these assessments.
However, DEQ urges all water systems to prepare these security tools
for their own protection.
Information related to drinking water security is provided below
to help in protecting Idaho’s drinking water. |
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| New Security Requirements |
| Under
the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response
Act of 2002, the Safe Drinking Water Act was amended to require
community water systems that serve populations greater than 3,300
to implement new security measures.
| A
community water system is a public water system that serves
at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents
or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents (e.g.,
a municipality, subdivision, mobile home park, apartment complex,
or nursing home). |
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Vulnerability
Assessments and Emergency Response Plans |
| The
Act requires community water systems that serve populations greater
than 3,300 to:
- Conduct a vulnerability assessment (VA). The
purpose of a VA is to evaluate weaknesses to potential threats
and identify steps that can reduce the risk of serious consequences
from attack or acts of vandalism.
- Certify and submit a copy of the assessment
to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) within a specified
time (see schedule below).
- Prepare or revise an emergency response plan
incorporating the results of the VA. Emergency response planning
is an essential part of managing a drinking water system. Preparing
a response plan and practicing it can save lives, prevent illness,
enhance system security, minimize property damage, and lessen
liability.
- Certify to EPA that the system has completed
such a plan within six months of completing the VA (see schedule
below).
In Idaho,
42 community water systems, representing two-thirds of the population
served by public water systems, must complete a VA. EPA has notified
the 42 systems serving over 3,300 that a vulnerability assessment
and emergency response plan are required under the Public Health
Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2002.
|
Due Dates for
Submitting VAs and ERPs |
|
Population
served by water system: |
Certify and
submit vulnerability assessment by: |
Certify
emergency response plan within 6 months of vulnerability assessment,
but no later than: |
100,000 or greater
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March 31, 2003 |
September 30 , 2003 |
| 50,000 - 99,999 |
December 31, 2003 |
June 30, 2004 |
| 3,301 - 49,999 |
June 30, 2004 |
December 31, 2004 |
| 3,300 or less |
Not required by statute, but encouraged by
DEQ |
Not required by statute,
but encouraged by DEQ |
For additional
information on these requirements, visit EPA's
Water Infrastructure Security Web site. |
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Note
to Small Systems:
Water systems serving fewer than 3,300 people are not required
to conduct vulnerability assessments or prepare emergency
response plans. However, DEQ urges all systems
to prepare these security aids for their own protection.
Help is available on the Association
of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) Web site
where you will find a Security Vulnerability Self-Assessment
Guide. The guide, developed by ASDWA and the National
Rural Water Association (NRWA) in cooperation with EPA,
is specifically designed to assist drinking water systems
serving fewer than 3,300 people. |
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Find Out More |
EPA's
Water Infrastructure Security Web Site
Visit
this Web site for additional information on training, vulnerability
assessment tools, and emergency response planning. |
| DEQ's
Drinking Water Newsletters with Security Information
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Issue
23 offers guidelines for protecting public drinking water
systems through increased security measures. |
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Issue
29 discusses new security measures that community water
systems serving populations greater than 3,300 must implement. |
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| Contamination Emergencies: When
to Call and What to Do |
What should you do if you believe a
suspected or intentional contamination or intrusion has occurred at
your public water supply system or facility?
Call Idaho's Com Center (1-800-632-8000)
immediately, which will trigger an emergency response telephone conference
between you and various state and local officials. These individuals,
trained in their areas of expertise, will advise you how to proceed.
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When
Should You Call the Com Center? |
Call
the Com Center if your system experiences any of the following scenarios:
- Physical security is compromised or there
is obvious evidence of accidental or malicious intrusion.
- There is evidence of vandalism that may
suggest intrusion leading to an added vulnerability of the system
(e.g., hole in fences or gates, barbed wire cut, locksets removed
or destroyed, etc.).
- Suspicious materials are found around a site
that is part of, or associated with, a public water supply (e.g.,
discarded packaging, plastic bags, unlabeled and discarded containers,
evidence of marks indicating devices were dragged across the ground,
vehicle tracks, etc.).
- An anonymous threat is directed at the facility.
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What
To Do |
If
you meet any of the criteria above and you suspect intentional and
criminal contamination:
- Contact Idaho's Com Center at 1-800-632-8000.
If that telephone number is busy, call the alternative Com Center
telephone number: 1-208-846-7610.
- Clearly indicate that your call concerns a threat
to a drinking water system.
For those systems that chlorinate, maintain adequate chlorine
residual.
- Notify your customers not to drink the water
until you advise them that the water is safe to drink.
- Keep your customers informed.
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| Public Water System Emergency
Response Plan |
DEQ
urges all public drinking water systems,
regardless of size of population served, to adopt an emergency response
plan. Emergency plans outline the steps a water system will follow
if a primary source of drinking water becomes
contaminated or the flow of water is disrupted. The purposes of
an emergency plan are to:
| 1. |
establish a procedure for the
management and staff of a water system to follow in case of
an emergency, and |
| 2. |
help
a water system reduce its vulnerability to emergencies. |
Developing
an emergency response plan takes time and effort. Once completed, the plan should be kept on hand for any unforeseen
emergency.
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| Public Water System Emergency
Contact Information Form |
DEQ maintains an emergency contact list
of public water system operators who wish to be notified in the event
of a drinking water emergency or major disaster that may affect drinking
water systems. This online form enables system operators to sign up
for this notification list.
Link to Public
Water System Emergency Contact Information Form. |
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| Certified Drinking Water Haulers
in Idaho |
In the event of an emergency, such as pump failure or water quality or quantity issues, it may be necessary for some public water systems to use bulk water as an alternative water source. DEQ has compiled a list of potential suppliers of bulk sources of water that are certified by the state's seven district health departments to haul drinking water in emergency situations.
Link to List of Certified Drinking
Water Haulers. |
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| Links to More Information |
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) |
| Water
Infrastructure Security Web site |
| Legislation
and Directives |
Instructions
to Assist Community Water Systems in Complying with the Public Health
Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002
(pdf) and
Addendum
to the Instructions (pdf) |
Others |
| Association
of State Drinking Water Administrators |
| National
Rural Water Association |
| Idaho
Rural Water Association |
| American
Water Works Association |
| Center
for Disease Control |
| Idaho
Emergency Medical Services (Division of Health,
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare) |
IDWARN
(Idaho Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network Web site)
Links to a voluntary mutual aid organization of water utilities helping other water utilities during times of emergency. |
