EPA Tools and Resources

Cybersecurity Best Practices for the Water Sector

WSD recently published the EPA Cybersecurity Best Practices for the Water Sector webpage. The new page contains cyber resilience resources available from EPA including the Water Sector Cybersecurity Brief for States, Cybersecurity Incident Action Checklist, Water Sector Cybersecurity Training and Response Exercises and Water Sector Cybersecurity Technical Assistance Program. The webpage also provides information on available DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Alerts, including for the recent SolarWinds incident.

Fact sheet - What to Report to CISA

America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) Resources

Article - Tools for AWIA Compliance

AWIA Factsheet – This document provides an overview of the new requirements, deadlines, frequently asked questions and information concerning resources and tools.

Baseline Information on Malevolent Acts for Community Water Systems (CWSs) - This document provides baseline information on malevolent act threat categories and corresponding threat likelihoods relevant to drinking water and wastewater systems.

Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool Web 2.0 – This updated version of the Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool assists drinking water and wastewater systems in conducting an AWIA-compliant Risk and Resilience Assessment.

Emergency Response Plan Template and Instructions – This updated emergency response plan guidance provides a template and instructions for drinking water systems to develop or revise an AWIA-compliant Emergency Response Plan.

Online Certification System - This online portal allows CWSs to certify completion of the Risk and Resilience Assessments and Emergency Response Plan online and receive reminders.

COVID-19

EPA published the Pandemic Resilience Guide to help drinking water and wastewater utilities become more resilient to pandemics. The interactive guide covers best practices and real-world examples related to pandemic resilience collected from the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The guide contains four main sections: supply chain issues for cleaning products and personal protective equipment, staffing key positions, returning to work, and communications/information sharing. Read more at EPA .

Climate Resilience and Awareness

FREE WEBINARS

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative is providing a series of five, free webinars for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater (water sector) utility owners and operators, as well as other water sector stakeholders in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. This webinar training series titled “Building Resilience and Adapting to Climate Change Impacts for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities” begins with an Introductory webinar concentrating on the impacts of climate change in the Mid-Atlantic, the identification of adaptation options, and a utility climate change risk assessment case study. The following four webinars focus on conducting a climate change risk assessment using EPA’s Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT), developing resilience and adaptation projects, and identifying financing programs to pay for infrastructure projects.

CREAT is a web-based risk assessment application for water sector utilities to assess and address current and potential future climate change impacts. This free training will help utilities incorporate climate change considerations into their decision-making, identify adaptation projects to build long-term resilience, and learn about federal and local resources for financing utility resilience projects. To learn more about CREAT success stories visit our Case Study and Information Exchange Map and to view other trainings visit the CRWU Training Center.

Updated Power Resilience Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities

EPA updated its Power Resilience Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities in June 2019 to provide utilities with more information and strategies for strengthening their relationships with their electric providers and increasing their resilience to power outages. The new additions include:

Five new case studies, on topics including the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, on-site power, microgrids and long-term generator use

Expanded information on generator ratings and regulations

Additional information on generator servicing requirements

More tips on fuel supply planning

New section on Black Sky Planning

New Appendix A: Existing Generator Information Sheet

New Appendix B: Generator Request Information Form

Power Resilience Guide

Final Revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule

EPA’s new Lead and Copper Rule better protects children and communities from the risks of lead exposure by better protecting children at schools and child care facilities, getting the lead out of our nation’s drinking water, and empowering communities through information. Improvements under the new rule include:

Using science-based testing protocols to find more sources of lead in drinking water.

Establishing a trigger level to jumpstart mitigation earlier and in more communities.

Driving more and complete lead service line replacements.

For the first time, requiring testing in schools and child care facilities.

Requiring water systems to identify and make public the locations of lead service lines

For more information https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/revised-lead-and-copper-rule.

Water Quality Surveillance and Response System (SRS) Capabilities Assessment Tool

This tool helps drinking water utilities identify existing SRS capabilities, assess these capabilities relative to target capabilities, and develop potential enhancements to meet their unique SRS goals and objectives. The tool provides an easy starting point for utilities interested in implementing an SRS.

SRS Capabilities Assessment Tool