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Quick Links
PWS Notice: PWSs with gaseous chlorine cylinders onsite should
store them in a secure area behind locked doors. This area should be
patrolled regularly. Missing or tampered with chlorine containers should be
reported to authorities immediately.
PWS Tip: PWSs are encouraged to contact their county EMA to plan
for emergencies involving both parties.
Click here for Co. EMA
contact information
Click here for slide
show presented to county EMAs by Ohio EPA - 3/26/07
Call the Ohio EPA 24-hour Emergency # 1-800-282-9378
for emergencies occurring after normal business hours
NIMS National Incident Management
System- A system mandated by Homeland Security Presidential
Directive- 5 that provides a consistent nationwide approach for state, local
& non-governmental organizations to work effectively and efficiently
together to prepare for, respond to & recover from domestic incidents,
regardless of cause, size or complexity.
ICS Incident Command System- The combination of facilities,
equipment, personnel, procedures and communications operating within a
common organizational structure, designed to aid in the management of
resources during incidents.
Find out more information on NIMS & ICS and implementation compliancy goals
for local jurisdictions.
http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/
Currently, there are six courses that are required in order
for an individual or organization to be considered NIMS compliant through FY
2007. To determine what level of training an individual needs according to
their level of responsibility during a multi-jurisdiction, multi-agency,
multi-discipline incident, click here:
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/TrainingGdlMatrix.pdf
NIMS-required training courses:
-
ICS-100 Fact Sheet, 03/2007 (PDF
28KB, TXT
2KB)
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ICS-200 Fact Sheet, 03/2007 (PDF
28KB,
TXT
3KB)
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ICS-300* Fact Sheet, 03/2007 (PDF
28KB, TXT
2KB)
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ICS-400* Fact Sheet, 03/2007 (PDF
28KB, TXT
2KB)
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IS-700 NIMS Fact
Sheet, 03/2007 (PDF
16KB, TXT
3KB)
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IS-800.A NRP Fact Sheet, 03/2007 (PDF
22KB, TXT
2KB)
Partners in Protection- PWS & Local Law
Enforcement
To protect the public’s drinking water supply, law enforcement officials and
local drinking water systems must work together to develop protocols for
patrolling water systems and reporting and investigating any security
breaches.
So, how do you build an effective drinking water security program?
Click Here to view a brochure. (print double-sided to make a
tri-fold brochure)
Mutual Aid Agreements
These assistant networks provide a method whereby water/wastewater
utilities that have sustained damages from natural or manmade events could
obtain emergency assistance in the form of personnel, equipment, materials
and other associated services from other water/wastewater utilities.
Formalize an existing agreement or forge a new one with guidance from the
following documents.
One-Page Policy Statement on Mutual
Aid & Assistance Networks
Utilities
Helping Utilities, An Action Plan for Mutual Aid & Assistance Networks
(developed by AWWA)
Security Breach
Reporting Procedures
Public Water Systems should contact their local law enforcement office and
the district office of Ohio EPA's Division of Drinking and Ground Waters
immediately. If reporting a breach after 5pm or on a weekend or holiday
please call the Ohio EPA 24 Hour # 1-800-282-9378.
A security breach is the compromising of such physical protective systems as
fencing, gates, locks, hatches, tanks or hydrants at the plant or in the
distribution system.
Tampering with or vandalizing a PWS is a crime under the federal Safe
Drinking Water Act.
Water systems are encouraged to report such crimes to the Water Information
Sharing and Analysis Center at
www.waterISAC.org
See Next Item
www.waterISAC.org
The Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC)
is the most comprehensive and up-to-the-minute online resource of security
information for America’s drinking and wastewater utilities. It provides a
unique link between the water sector and federal environmental, homeland
security, law enforcement, intelligence and public health agencies.
Please
report security breaches at your system here
WaterSC — A
FREE, rapid, Email notification of water security alerts and other
information issued by federal government agencies. Visit the Water Security
Channel at
www.watersc.org
Security
Resources, Training & Exercise Materials
Water Contaminant Information Tool
(WCIT)
An EPA secure online database that contains information on contaminants that
could pose a significant threat to public health if accidentally or
intentionally introduced into drinking water or wastewater. Click here for
the fact sheet.
WCIT now has information on
93 contaminants with four new data categories:
- drinking water treatment
- wastewater treatment
- environmental impacts
- infrastructure decontamination
Access to WCIT data is password protected and qualified individuals must
apply to EPA and undergo screening before being granted access.
Qualified individuals include: drinking water and wastewater utilities,
State drinking water primacy agencies and laboratories, drinking water and
wastewater associations partnering with EPA, state and local public health
officials, and federal officials (including government laboratory personnel)
are eligible for access.
Click here to apply for access
to WCIT
A Water Security Handbook:
Planning for &
Responding to Drinking Water Contamination Threats & Incidents
EPA prepared this simplified handbook for water utilities as an overview of
it’s comprehensive Response Protocol Toolbox, from the perspective of a
water system manager. The Handbook describes how to recognize intentional
water contamination threats and incidents, what actions a utility should
take in the event of a threat or incident, possible roles of the water
utility within the larger Incident Command framework, and how the National
Incident Management System (NIMS) is organized.
This handbook will prove useful when a utility is updating its emergency
response plan.
Water Security Booklet (FREE)
U.S. EPA's new booklet, Active and Effective Water Security Programs, takes
the 14 features developed last year by the National Drinking Water Advisory
Council's Water Security Working Group (WSWG) and organizes them for
security program planning.
Click
here
for a summary of this FREE Booklet
http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/14features.cfm
This 20 page booklet can be ordered for free from EPA's Office of Water
Resource Center by telephone: (202) 566-1729.
Request document # 817-K-06-001
Guidance Booklet for Very Small Public Water Systems
Drinking Water Security for Small Systems Serving 3,300 or Fewer Persons
US EPA’s Water
Security Division produced this booklet as a voluntary water security
guidance for very small community drinking water systems. Their goal is to
help systems understand the basics of water system security.
View this brochure
online or order a hard copy by calling 1-800-832-7828 or 1-800-490-9198,
reference document # EPA 817-R-05-001
Included in the
Booklet:
- Explanation of
Vulnerability Assessments (VAs) & Emergency Response Plans (ERPs)
- User-friendly tools
& templates
- Suggestions for
practical security improvements
“Small
System Security Page” developed by ASDWA
“A
Simple Asset Inventory for Very Small Drinking Water Systems” by US EPA
This brochure is a guide to help very small
water systems, such as manufactured home communities and homeowners’
associations, assess their condition by
preparing a simple asset inventory.
View this brochure online or order a hard
copy by calling 1-800-832-7828 or 1-800-490-9198, reference document # EPA
816-K-03-002
US EPA’s National Homeland Security Research Center
has published:
Security
Information Collaboratives: A Guide for Water Utilities
The purpose of the guide is to inform drinking water and wastewater
utilities, and others, about the benefits of establishing collaborative
arrangements with other organizations to share information on water
security. The guide provides step-by-step suggestions for establishing a
collaborative and includes three case studies to show how utilities can
successfully coordinate with various key water security partners to enhance
security and public health protection.
More information
The National Drinking Water Advisory Council
(NDWAC)
The 14 Features of an Active &
Effective Security Program
US EPA’s -
Emergency Response Tabletop Exercises
for Water and Wastewater Systems
(online version,)
This tool contains
tabletop exercises to help train water and wastewater utility workers in
preparing and carrying-out emergency response plans. The exercises provided
can help strengthen relationships between a water supplier and their
emergency response team (e.g., health officials, laboratories, fire, police,
emergency medical services, and local, state, and federal officials). Users
can also adapt the materials for their own needs. The exercises also
allow water suppliers to test their Emergency Response Plans before an
actual incident occurs.
CD-ROM version also available by mail
free of charge
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