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Guide to Help Wastewater Utilities Deal With Attacks
The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) released a guide Oct. 25 for wastewater utilities to prepare and protect facilities against a terrorist attack. The guide, Planning for Decontamination Wastewater: A Guide for Utilities, is aimed at educating wastewater utility managers about the potential impacts of wastewater from washing equipment used to decontaminate sites or facilities affected by chemical, biological, or radiological terrorist attacks. NACWA said the publication can help prepare utilities by presenting a variety of attack scenarios that could generate "decontamination water," or water that was used to wash decontamination suits and associated equipment, as it makes its way to wastewater treatment plants. The guide outlines basic actions utilities may consider to prepare for such a contingency, and it contains Internet links to other sources with more detailed information. In 2004, NACWA received a $100,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to develop the publication. A copy of the guide is available at http://www.nacwa.org/pubs/.