NETCSC developing security guide for small wastewater systems

The National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities (NETCSC) is developing a vulnerability assessment guide for small wastewater systems. Working with representatives of several technical assistance organizations and small community and security professionals, NETCSC is producing this guide to assist small wastewater systems in assessing their vulnerabilities to potential threats and preparing for a range of potential emergencies and security breaches, including natural disasters, intentional acts of terrorism or violence, and vandalism.

Legislation passed by Congress earlier this year made vulnerability assessments mandatory for drinking water systems serving more than 3,300 people. Although wastewater
systems are not currently required by law to
perform vulnerability assessments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other organizations encourage wastewater systems to assess their security risks. For example, with support from EPA, the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) developed the Asset-Based Vulnerability Checklist for Wastewater Utilities. This checklist is available through AMSA’s Web site, located at www.amsa-cleanwater.org, to help utilities secure their facilities.

“However, no guide has been developed for smaller wastewater systems, which face differing circumstances as a result of their staff availability, physical size and design, customer base, resources, and technical capabilities,” says John Hoornbeek, NETCSC director. “This project will help remedy this gap in our nation’s effort to improve the security of its water and wastewater
infrastructure.”

According to Hoornbeek, the guide will draw from concepts and practices developed to address vulnerability concerns at drinking water facilities and larger wastewater utilities, and adapt them to meet the needs of smaller wastewater systems. “The final product will include a set of questions designed to alert small wastewater system managers and operators to potential vulnerabilities in their
systems, and will be organized in a way that makes it usable for small wastewater systems,” says Hoornbeek.

NETCSC is coordinating the development of this guide with small community officials and wastewater and security professionals affiliated with the 104(g) Wastewater Operator Training Program, the Rural Community Assistance Program, the National Small Flows Clearinghouse, AMSA, and other organizations. EPA is providing valuable funding support for the effort.

According to Hoornbeek, the guide will be made available free for small systems during the coming year. It is scheduled for release in hard copy and via the Internet later this fall.

For the latest information about the availability of the guide, visit NETCSC’s Web site at www.netc.wvu.edu, or call NETCSC at (800) 624-8301 or (304) 293-4191 and ask
to speak with a training specialist.

EPA notifies water systems about vulnerability assessments

Congress passed legislation earlier this year requiring community water systems serving more than 3,300 people to perform vulnerability assessments. Although most communities may be aware of this new requirement, many are probably wondering how to go about performing such an assessment and where to go for help. Some communities might even be uncertain if they are affected by the new law.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working hard to get the necessary information to communities affected by the new requirement, says Susan Dolgin, communications director with EPA’s Water Protection Task Force.

EPA has sent a notification letter to all community water systems that will need to
perform a vulnerability assessment. “This notification letter also tells systems how to access a secure Web site where they can obtain further information about vulnerability assessments,” says Dolgin.

The notification letter instructs utilities on how to access the new document prepared by EPA, Baseline Threat Information for Vulnerability Assessments of Community Water Systems, which defines the threats that systems might face. This document is available only to utilities through a secure Web site or directly from EPA, notes Dolgin.

Dolgin also emphasizes that a host of resources and information are available through EPA’s Water Protection Task Force Web site located at www.epa.gov/safewater/
security. “This site provides a number of tools and training programs for both drinking water and wastewater systems. These are good resources for all communities to use,” she says.

Although systems serving fewer than 3,300 people are not required by the new law to perform vulnerability assessments, EPA recommends that these systems also take advantage of the resources available through EPA’s Web site. Specifically, Dolgin recommends the Security Vulnerability Self-Assessment Guide. Developed by the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, this guide is designed to help systems serving fewer than 3,300 people to assess their critical components and identify security measures that should be implemented.

According to Dolgin, if a water system serving more than 3,300 people has not received a notification letter from EPA by now or if systems have questions about whether they are required to perform an assessment, they should contact their EPA regional office.

Finally, Dolgin suggests that water systems should not yet submit vulnerability assessments to EPA. “A protocol for handling this sensitive information is now under development. Utilities will be notified with instructions for how to submit vulnerability assessments in the near future,” says Dolgin.

EPA releases water infrastructure gap analysis

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman recently called for a national forum early next year that will bring together prominent experts and stakeholders so that they can have the opportunity to discuss innovative approaches on how
to best meet infrastructure challenges. On September 30, EPA released the Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Gap Analysis on the estimated funding needs of the nation’s water pipes and plants.

“This report looks at infrastructure in the broad sense—everything it takes to deliver clean, safe water to America’s homes and businesses and then remove and treat the wastewater that results,” said Whitman. “From the simplest pipe to the most complex treatment system, we looked at the entire picture.”

Assuming no growth in revenues, the total need for clean water—in both capital and operations and maintenance—exceeds $270 billion over 20 years. For drinking water, the gap approaches $265 billion for the same period. The size of the gap can be reduced substantially if a real growth in revenues is projected over the same period. Assuming a three percent annual real growth in revenues, for example, the gap shrinks by nearly 90 percent on the clean water side and by about 80 percent on the drinking water side.

“The actual gap may end up somewhere in between these numbers—and there are an enormous number of considerations that will go into determining where the gap ends up. The important thing about this report is that it enables us to engage the discussion with a better understanding of what the dimensions of the challenge really are,” Whitman said.

For fiscal year 2003, the Administration has already proposed the largest combined request for the state drinking water and clean water revolving loan funds in history—$2.1 billion. Whitman said that meeting the challenge will require the harnessing of the power of the public and private sectors both for financing and for the development of new technologies and innovations.

WEF announces wastewater security training events

Wastewater facilities face unique challenges in evaluating and determining approaches for reducing their vulnerability to both intentional threats and natural disasters. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are partnering to provide wastewater treatment facilities with the necessary tools to initiate vulnerability assessments and develop or update emergency response plans.

WEF’s wastewater training will take a three-pronged approach:

Large system training workshops

Twelve two-day training sessions conducted around the country between October 2002 and July 2003 will focus on more than 300 of the nation’s largest wastewater facilities. The experts who designed AMSA’s Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool (VSAT) will provide hands-on training to representatives from these facilities. VSAT is designed to provide a comprehensive, intuitive system for wastewater facilities seeking to analyze their vulnerabilities and implement appropriate countermeasures.

Representatives with responsibility for security planning will bring data from their own facilities to the workshops and initiate a vulnerability assessment with VSAT designed specifically for their circumstances. Participants will then learn how to develop a vulnerability assessment and an emergency response plan that is tailored to their particular circumstances.

All training sessions are free for public wastewater facilities. Each workshop location will have a limited capacity. Confirmed
registrants will receive a pre-conference information package with details about the training session upon application.

Train-the-trainer workshops

WEF will offer a one-day training workshop in each of EPA’s 10 regions to educate 150 trainers on the uses and capabilities of VSAT and on the development and upgrading of emergency response plans. These trainers will then act as resources for facilities that need training and assistance.

Train-the-trainer sessions are designed for state and local training and assistance providers and attendance is by invitation only.

Webcast

WEF, along with the American Public Works Association, is offering part one of a two-part Wastewater Vulnerability Assessment Webcast on November 20. This Web-based session will summarize general vulnerability assessment principles and provide an overview of the VSAT software.

The second part of the Webcast, which will provide more detailed training on the VSAT software, will be broadcast in March 2003.

Both Webcasts are free.

For more information and registration details about these wastewater security training events, call (703) 684-2400, extension 7090, e-mail securityreg@wef.org, or visit WEF’s Web site at www.wef.org/publicinfo/
wefsecurity.jhtml.

EPA Web site provides links to security information

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Water Protection Task Force, EPA’s regional offices, and many partners are working together to improve the nation’s water infrastructure security.

In an effort to help systems obtain security information, EPA’s Office of Ground-water and Drinking Water’s Web site contains a list of links to trade and industry organizations, clearinghouses and information centers, and federal government agencies that offer security information for drinking water and wastewater treatment systems.

To access this list, visit www.epa.gov/safewater/security/links.html.

Pipeline helps public understand wastewater treatment issues

Homeowners, local officials, and others who want to learn more about onsite and small community wastewater treatment issues will appreciate the newsletter Pipeline, a free publication of the National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC).

Pipeline is written for a general audience, and each issue explains a wastewater technology or theme of interest to local officials and community residents. The articles are presented in an easy-to-read, non-technical style and each issue includes a list of contacts and resources.

The three most recent issues of Pipeline discuss onsite wastewater treatment issues. They include:

• “Soil Characteristics: Demystifying Dirt.” This issue reviews the characteristics of soil that determine the efficiency of—or choice of—dispersal methods. (Spring 2002, Item #SFPLNL29)
• “How To Keep Your Water ‘Well’.” This issue presents the special considerations that are mandatory to prevent the contamination of drinking water wells in areas where onsite treatment is employed. (Summer 2002, Item #SFPLNL30)
• “Alternative Dispersal Options.” This issue provides clear descriptions and diagrams of various subsurface dispersal methods. (Fall 2002, Item #SFPLNL31)

To request a copy of these issues or to obtain a free subscription to Pipeline, call the NSFC at (800) 624-8301 or (304) 293-4191. The Pipeline newsletter also may be downloaded from NSFC’s Web site, which is located at www.nsfc.wvu.edu.

NDWC offers free arsenic treatment publications

Arsenic has long been identified as being toxic, and in drinking water it is associated with cancers and numerous other disorders.
In light of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new and lower maximum contaminant level set on arsenic in drinking water,
the National Drinking Water Clearinghouse (NDWC) offers several free publications about arsenic removal. These include:

• Using DWSRF Funds to Comply with the New Arsenic Rule (Item #DWFSFN32)
• Laboratory Study on the Oxidation of Arsenic III to Arsenic IV (Item #DWBKRE21)
• Treatment of Arsenic Residuals from Drinking Water Removal Processes (Item #DWBKOM18)
• Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water by Ion Exchange and Activated Alumina Plants (Item #DWBKOM12)
• Oxidation of Arsenic (III) by Aeration and Storage (Item #DWBLOM13)
• Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water by Coagulation/Filtration and Lime Softening Plants (Item #DWBKOM17)
• Regulations on the Disposal of Arsenic Residuals from Drinking Water Treatment Plants (Item #DWBLRG58)
• Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water by Iron Removal Plants (Item #DWBKOM14)

To order any of these publications, call the NDWC at (800) 624-8301 or (304) 293-4191 or send an e-mail to ndwc_orders@mail.
nesc.wvu.edu.