EPA Promotes Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plans to Improve Preparedness
In May 2011, EPA's Office of Water published How to Develop a Multi-Year Training and Exercise (T&E) Plan. This document is intended for water utilities, to help with the development of a multi-year T&E plan, as a companion to a utility's Emergency Response Plan. Creating such a plan helps utilities:
- Ensure employees stay current in their preparedness roles and facilitates new employees' understanding of the utility's preparedness plans and operations;
- Provide managers and responders with a better mechanism to evaluate their operations and plans; and
- Perform regular training and exercise with a focus on continual performance.
ASDWA encourages you to share this document with your water systems. How to Develop a Multi-Year Training and Exercise (T&E) Plan
Nevada Rural Water Association Annual Conference, March 8, 2011 Presentations:
NDEP, Jennifer Carr, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water:
 State Regulatory Update
Drinking Water Operator Certification Program
NWEA, Jennifer McMartin:
Wastewater Certification
US EPA, Jason Gambatese:
What's new
The Proposed Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR)
Ground Water Rule (GWR) - EPA article
In an effort to provide information about the Ground Water Rule (GWR) in multiple ways to help states implement and systems comply, EPA is preparing an article series that will summarize key components of the GWR.
The first article in the series is the introductory article that outlines the series content and covers basics of the rule.
second article: Triggered and Additional Source Water Monitoring
third article:Compliance and Assessment Source Water Monitoring
fourth article: Sanitary Survey and Corrective Action
Water Industry Competency Model
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) worked with its membership to identify the occupation specific competencies required for workers in the Water Sector. In collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water and the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the results of those efforts were formatted into a competency model. The resulting model for the Water Sector, which depicts the core competencies required for field staff and operators, will be a resource for workforce developers and educators.
WARN and Small Water Systems
EPA has just published a new fact sheet to help to explain how participation in a WARN would be beneficial for small community water systems.
If you have any questions about the fact sheets, please contact Nushat Thomas of EPA’s Water Security Division at thomas.nushat@epa.gov
Pandemic Influenza Fact Sheet for the Water Sector
EPA has published a “Pandemic Influenza Fact Sheet for the Water Sector.” Pandemic flu could affect the capability of water system operators to operate and maintain their systems adequately due to increased absenteeism at their systems and at other interdependent sectors that provide essential materials and supplies. The flu fact sheet provides information to assist the water sector in integrating pandemic planning into existing business continuity and emergency response plans and reducing the risk to public health that would be caused by disruption in operation of water systems. In addition to background information on pandemic flu, its potential impacts, and possible interventions, the fact sheet provides references to tools and guidance materials offered by EPA and other organizations. The fact sheet is available at:
ABC Sample Exam Questions
Sample exam questions give you an online resource to prepare for your exam. In preparation for taking a certification exam, review the
THESE QUESTIONS as a sample of the type of questions covered. While these questions aren’t duplicated on any exam, sample questions allow you to familiarize yourself with the exam format.
EPA Webinar Presentations:
In the summer of 2009, EPA conducted a series of four webcasts on simultaneous compliance. These covered general simultaneous compliance issues and specific concerns related to ground water, surface water, and distribution systems. If you weren’t able to participate when they originally “aired”, now is your chance to go back and review the material. These may also be useful for future reference as you deal with water quality problems in the attempt to meet requirements from multiple rules. EPA considers simultaneous compliance a major issue that will be compounded as new rules are issued and the complexity of the regulatory environment increases. They will continue to work on tools to help states and water systems address these issues. If you have suggestions that will help you meet these challenges, please pass them on to Francine St. Denis at EPA (St-Denis.Francine@epa.gov, 202-564-3829).
Webinar 1 Source/Treatment Changes: What Primacy Agencies Should Consider
Webinar 2 Simultaneous Compliance Issues for Groundwater Systems
Webinar 3 Simultaneous Compliance Issues for Surface Water Systems
Webinar 4 Water Quality Management in Distribution Systems: Simultaneous Compliance and
Unintended Consequences
Toolkit to Help with Emergency Planning for Latino or Other Minority Populations
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has prepared a quick (2-page) information piece on the efforts of the Latino Health Initiative of Montgomery County (MD) to “develop, implement, and assess a cultural and linguistic intervention to increase the awareness, knowledge, and practices of emergency preparedness among the low-income Latino community. This intervention included the development of a training curriculum, the training of health promotion specialists, and conducting community-based education sessions.” This was a collaborative effort with the County’s Advanced Practice Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response and with the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
While this effort focused specifically on the Latino community, the process should be adaptable to non-English speaking or otherwise special cultural populations. You may want to share these materials with your local government organizations, training providers, and health groups to enhance the overall emergency preparedness of any community. This document includes links to download the complete toolkit (in both English and Spanish) from both NACCHO and Montgomery County, Maryland.
FEMA has published the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101: Developing and Maintaining State, Territorial, Tribal, and Local Government Emergency Plans.
The Guide integrates planning and implementation elements from the National Response Framework and the National Infrastructure Protection Plan. The document’s Preface states that, “This Guide provides emergency and homeland security managers and other emergency services personnel with FEMA’s recommendations on how to address the entire planning process…” It goes on to suggest that the Guide should help with operations plans that, “…serve as the basis for effective response to any hazard…; integrate prevention, protection, and mitigation activities with traditional response and recover planning; and facilitate coordination with the Federal government during incidents that require implementation of the NRF [National Response Framework]…”
The document is 172 pages and nearly 5MB but can be downloaded from the FEMA website
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