NACWA Releases Decontamination Wastewater Guide
NACWA, through a cooperative agreement with EPA, finalized and
distributed its Planning for Decontamination
 Wastewater: A Guide
for Utilities (PDF).
The Guide is intended to increase the level of awareness
within the wastewater community and provide guidance on how to
ensure that wastewater infrastructure is protected in the event of a
terrorist attack. Specifically, the Guide is designed to
ensure managers of wastewater utilities are cognizant of the
pre-planning necessary to prevent, detect, respond to and/or recover
from the impact of decontamination wastewater containing chemical,
biological, or radiological (CBR) substances. The Guide
examines CBR agents of concern and identifies plausible incident
scenarios. A section on planning and coordination explores the
potential modification, or addition, of sewer use regulations and
policies – as well as the leveraging of pretreatment programs. The
Guide contains, among other helpful information, a summary of
tactics and equipment that may be employed to prevent
decontamination wastewater from entering the sewer system and
methods to reduce the adverse impacts of CBR agents on wastewater
operations and facility personnel. |
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GAO Releases Report on Security
Improvements at Wastewater Treatment
Plants
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released its report
Wastewater Facilities, Experts' Views on How Federal Funds Should
be Spent to Improve Security (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05165.pdf).
The report recommends priorities as to how the federal government
should spend its resources in the wastewater treatment security
arena. The report concludes that collection systems are among the
most vulnerable physical components of wastewater utilities and
identifies several areas which require federal financial support.
These include replacing gaseous chemicals with less harmful
alternatives; improving state, local and regional collaboration; and
completing vulnerability assessments for individual wastewater
systems. The report also identifies more training opportunities for
wastewater utility operators, hardening facilities against attack,
and increasing research and development to improve detection,
assessment and response as priorities. |
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NACWA to Work with
Homeland Security on Chlorine Gas Decision Tree
NACWA has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a decision tree and report
template to help utilities assess and examine chlorine gas
alternatives for water and wastewater disinfection. The decision
tree will help utilities evaluate the potential costs and benefits
of conversion and evaluate whether an alternative disinfection
method will still enable them to meet their permit requirements. The
planned report template will allow the results of the decision tree
analysis to be reported in a consistent format, improving a
utility’s ability to pursue and secure funding for conversion should
funds be made available at the federal or state level. NACWA met with
DHS officials in early January 2005 and has begun the formation of
an oversight committee, that will include both water and wastewater
utilities, to coordinate the project. |
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AMSA Offers Upgrade to Vulnerability Self Assessment Tool
AMSA has released a new software upgrade to help water and
wastewater utilities create, update, and/or revise their
vulnerability assessments (VAs). The Vulnerability Self Assessment
Tool – VSAT™ Version 3.1 offers significant upgrades in the
Countermeasure Library, an improved vulnerability evaluation
method and a new Expert Mode (XM) that makes the review and
update of analysis easier. Additionally, an Emergency Response
Plan (ERP) module is included in Version 3.1 which offers an
enhancement to the both the Water and Water/Wastewater versions of
VSAT™. Work is underway for a similar ERP module for
wastewater utilities. For more information on these upgrades, visit
www.vsatusers.net. |
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EPA Releases Security Product Guide for Drinking Water and Wastewater
Utilities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a
series of Security Product Guide designed to assist drinking water
and wastewater utilities in reducing risks from, and protecting
against, natural disasters or terrorist attacks. The guide provides
information on water monitoring products as well as products
available to enhance physical security and electronic and cyber
security. EPA’s Security Guide has been updated to include several
new Product Guides along with a functional feedback page and a
“Contact Us” page. The website will be updated at regular intervals
to ensure the most recent information is available. Please visit
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/security/guide/index.html for
more information on EPA’s Security Product Guide. |
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AMSA Awarded Grant to Continue Security Initiatives
The Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) has been
awarded two grants by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
continue security initiatives throughout the coming year. EPA
awarded a $147,000 grant to develop and distribute a
"Decontamination Wastewater Acceptance and Treatment Planning Tool"
that would offer a generic protocol for publicly owned treatment
works’ handling of wastewater contaminated with chemical,
biological, or radiological agents following a large-scale terrorist
attack. The Planning Tool will be customized – as information
becomes available – to address specific contaminants and will serve
as a critical information and planning resource for POTWs. This
award follows on the heels of the grant of an additional $400,000
from EPA to AMSA to continue to enhance its suite of Vulnerability
Self Assessment Tools (VSAT™). These enhancements will include the
streamlining of the tools’ report functions, an emergency response
plan function to help better secure the nation’s drinking water and
wastewater infrastructure, increase data manipulation speeds,
improved presentation graphics and an update of the countermeasure
libraries. For more information on VSAT™, please visit
http://www.vsatusers.net/. |
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EPA to Continue
Overseeing Security for Wastewater Facilities
President Bush has signed a presidential order (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031217-5.html)
that would allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
continue to have jurisdiction over the security of water and
wastewater facilities throughout the nation. The directive
establishes a national policy for the government to identify,
prioritize, and protect infrastructure as a part of homeland
security. The directive also calls for the Department of Homeland
Security to integrate all security efforts among federal agencies. A
comprehensive national plan for infrastructure protection must be
completed by December 2004. |
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WEF Solicits
Wastewater Utilities for Help
on Security Guidance
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is seeking technical
assistance in developing a guidance designed to help publicly owned
treatment works identify and prioritize potential threats to their
facilities. The development of a guidance is part of a broader
project, funded through the US Environment Protection Agency,
dedicated to provide training and technical assistance to publicly
owned treatment works (POTWs) on how to conduct vulnerability
assessments, cost-effectively enhance their awareness capabilities
and implement security improvements, and update emergency response
plans. The closing date for Requests for Proposals (RFP) is January
14, 2004. Please visit WEF’s website at
http://www.wef.org/pdffiles/rfp03_sec_02.pdf to download the
RFP. |
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The General Accounting Office released a report (GAO-04-29)
detailing expert views on the best use of federal funds to improve
drinking water security (http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-29). |
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AMSA to Take Up Wastewater Security Legislation
AMSA and Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), Chair of the Environment &
Public Works (EPW) Committee, have worked tirelessly in an attempt
to include the Wastewater Treatment Works Security Act of 2003 (S.
1039) as an amendment to the Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban
Development and Independent Agencies (VA, HUD) appropriations bill,
which provides $8.18 billion in funding for the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and specifically $1.35 billion for the Clean
Water State Revolving Fund. The EPW minority, however, would not
allow the amendment to move to the Senate floor because of a belief
in the need for mandatory vulnerability assessments and the filing
of them with EPA or the Department of Homeland Security, a move that
AMSA did not support. S.1039 would have provided over $200 million
for security upgrades at wastewater treatment plants. The House
earlier this year passed its version of the bill (H.R. 866) on a
broad bipartisan basis of 413-2 and AMSA was hopeful, if given the
opportunity, that the Senate would follow suit. AMSA will continue
to work with key congressional policy makers to develop new
approaches in an effort to see successful passage of this important
legislation next year. |
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AMSA Sends Letter to Senate Minority on Key Security Legislation
AMSA recently sent a letter to Minority members on the Senate
Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee urging them not to stand
in the way of moving the Wastewater Treatment Works Security Act of
2003 (S.1039) to the Senate floor. EPW Chairman, James Inhofe (R-OK),
has pledged his support for S.1039 and may push the legislation to the
Senate floor despite Minority members’ plan to block the bill. It is
imperative S.1039 move forward now because the window of opportunity
to have a Senate floor vote this year is rapidly closing. AMSA is
confident that if allowed to reach the Senate floor, S.1039 would
receive the same broad bipartisan support that similar legislation
(H.R. 866) received in the House passing on a vote of 413-2. A copy of
the letter can be found on AMSA’s website at
http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/2003-10-01s1039letter.pdf. |
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AMSA Sends
Municipal Coalition Security Letter to Senate
AMSA recently sent a letter to all U.S. Senators urging for the
passage of The Wastewater Treatment Works Security Act of 2003
(S.1039) which would help municipal wastewater treatment works assess
their vulnerabilities and make needed security enhancements at their
utilities. AMSA has advocated for swift action on S.1039 in order for
the authorized funding amounts to be included in the 2004
appropriation process. The following groups have offered their strong
support for S.1039 and have signed on to AMSA’s letter: the National
League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, the National
Association of Towns and Townships, the American Public Works
Association, and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. A
copy of the letter can be viewed on AMSA’s website at
http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/2003-09-10SLetter.pdf. |
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AMSA Attends Water Infrastructure Security Summit
AMSA members and staff joined representatives from the Center for
Disease Control, Department of Homeland Security, National Research
Council, National Science Foundation, and the academic and regulatory
community for a Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) security
symposium to explore the various facets of security issues related to
wastewater infrastructure and management, the first in a series of
seven security related WERF projects. The goal of the symposium was to
develop and prioritize a research agenda that will fill gaps in
wastewater security and public health protection as well as develop
project profiles for priority research topics. Thirty-two research
projects were identified as high-priority concerns and will be
reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help
fine-tune the Agency’s national wastewater security action plan. The
project profiles will help the participating agencies select projects
for immediate funding and identify others that can be worked on
collaboratively with interested agencies. For more information on the
Summit please visit the WERF website at
http://www.werf.org/Press/News_Events.cfm#security. |
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Security Funding Bills Pass
House Floor, Senate Committee
AMSA’s efforts on behalf of wastewater security funding legislation
have enjoyed substantial success, with the U.S. House of
Representatives passing wastewater security funding legislation (H.R.
866) by an overwhelming, bipartisan vote of 413-2. Also, Senator James
Inhofe, Chairman of the Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee,
introduced very similar legislation to H.R. 866 - S.1039 - which
recently was successfully marked up on a bipartisan basis by the EPW
Committee. This progress demonstrates the effectiveness of AMSA’s
advocacy efforts, which have continued unabated since September 11,
2001, as well as the congressional commitment to this critical issue.
To view a copy of H.R.866 and/or S.1039 visit AMSA's Bill Tracker
web site at
http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/legupdate/leg_tracker.cfm. |
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 Office of Homeland Security releases its report, "The National
Strategy for the Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Key
Assets". The Report contains a section on water/wastewater
infrastructure and is available
here in full. |
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AMSA Releases
Two New VSAT™ Security Software Tools
AMSA released two new Vulnerability Self Assessment Tools (VSAT™)
recently, one for joint water/wastewater utilities (VSAT™water/wastewater)
and another for small and medium size water utilities (VSAT™water).
VSAT™water/wastewater provides valuable online vulnerability
assessment capabilities to utilities providing both wastewater
treatment and water supply services, while VSAT™water provides the
same capabilities for small to medium size public and private water
utilities. Both tools were funded by EPA and are available to water
and wastewater utilities free of charge. The tools provide a
user-friendly approach to evaluate, prioritize and remediate
vulnerabilities based upon five key utility assets – physical plant,
information technology, knowledge base, employees and customers. To
order the software, visit
www.VSATusers.net — a web site dedicated to the suite of VSAT™
software tools. |
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2003 Training Sessions on the
VSATwastewater Vulnerability Self Assessment Software
(Provided by the Water Environment Federation)
For additional information on these
training session and registration please visit:
www.wef.org/watersecurity/ |
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