NYRWA offers vulnerability assessment templates

Vulnerability assessments have been a required element of New York State water supply emergency response plans since 1990. In the past, however, most assessments focused on threats posed by nature and accidental and unintentional threats caused by human activity.

The New York State Department of Health adapted the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators/National Rural Water Association assessment tool—Security Vulnerability Self-Assessment Guide for Small Drinking Water Systems Serving Between 3,300 and 10,000—for communities to use as a template when preparing their security vulnerability assessments. This guide addresses only intentional acts—such as terrorism, internal threats, and vandalism—and is a companion to a second vulnerability assessment template adapted by the New York Rural Water Association (NYRWA). This vulnerability assessment tool addresses a comprehensive list of non-intentional acts that include a range of natural disasters and accidents such as discharges, spills, and equipment failure.

Both of these templates may be downloaded at no cost from NYRWA’s Web site located at www.nyruralwater.org.