Water System Security
Tools and Tech Assistance
- EPA -
Emergency Response Tabletop Exercise
- 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.
- EPA - Response
Protocol Toolbox: Planning for and Responding to Contamination Threats
to Drinking Water Systems. The
Toolbox is designed to help the water sector effectively and
appropriately respond to intentional contamination threats and
incidents. It was produced by EPA, building on the experience and
expertise of several drinking water utilities, in particular, the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Organized in modular
format, the Toolbox will be of value to drinking water utilities,
laboratories, emergency responders, state drinking water programs,
technical assistance providers, public health and law enforcement
officials.
- EPA -
Security Product Guide
- A tool to help drinking water and
wastewater utilities make informed decisions about security-related
products. EPA has updated the Guide to include these new products:
Wireless Data Communications, Alarms, Biometric Hand and Finger Geometry
Recognition, Manhole Intrusion Sensors, Reservoir Covers, and Intrusion
sensors. Based on feedback from their web site, they also revised
the existing guide for Biometric Security Systems. Since EPA keeps
this tool current, users should check back frequently for the latest
updates. A customer feedback form is available in the left column of the
Guide.
- Emergency Response Planning Guide for Public Drinking
Water Systems (DOH publication)
Vulnerability Self-Assessment Software Tool
(VSAT)
The Vulnerability Self Assessment Software Tool
(EPA website) provides a
comprehensive, intuitive system for water and wastewater utilities seeking
to analyze their vulnerability to both intentional threats and natural
disasters. VSAT organizes data, supports vulnerability analyses,
documents the analyses, and presents complex information in an
easy-to-understand format for the full suite of potential utility assets
including physical plant, employees, knowledge base, information
technology, and customers.
The free VSAT 5.0 software provides the following benefits:
- An intuitive process with improved navigation and enhanced work
tracking features,
- An improved analytical approach that will make consequence,
vulnerability, and likelihood of occurrence assessments of threats
more transparent, and
- A natural disaster assessment process supported by historical
information to enable likelihood determinations.
AMSA has upgraded their VSAT software tool to actually generate
a draft vulnerability assessment that systems can edit, polish, and
submit to EPA.
For more information, contact the Office of Drinking Water.
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