Emergency Preparedness and Planning

Emergency Response and Planning

Templates for water systems

Emergency Response and Planning Guidance for Water SystemsMS Word orPDF
CWS NTNC (serving 3,300 people or fewer) ERP TemplateMS Word orPDF
CWS (serving over 3.300 people) Supplemental ERP TemplateMS Word orPDF
Emergency Response and Planning Checklist for Water SystemsMS Word orPDF

OAR 333-061-0064 became effective February 1, 2023.

Community and Non-transient, Non-community (NTNC) water systems serving 3,300 people or fewer:

These systems are required to develop and maintain an emergency response plan (ERP) that can be accessed by water system staff during emergencies. DWS has developed an emergency response plan template for Community and NTNC water systems serving 3,300 people or fewer.

Community Water Systems serving more than 3,300 people:

Emergency response and planning requirements have been updated to align with America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) which requires Community Water Systems (CWS) serving more than 3,300 people to conduct a risk and resilience assessment (RRA) and develop and maintain an ERP based on the findings from the assessment.

There are additional requirements for CWS serving more than 3,300 people and DWS has developed a supplemental template for these systems to add to their current AWIA compliant ERP. Additional requirements include:

developing procedures for emergency events involving high-risk contaminant sources or activities,
identifying institutional customers serving vulnerable populations,
developing, and maintaining an emergency contact list,
identifying decision making authorities, and
developing procedures for notifying agencies, customers, and local media during emergencies.

Note: Water systems are not required to certify to DWS that their plans are complete and should not send documents with critical information to DWS. These documents must be made available for review during the water system’s sanitary survey.

Power outages

EPA’s power resilience guide provides information on how to use generators, fuel supply planning and other methods to increase water system resiliency.
Quick facts about auxiliary power for water systems

Earthquakes

2001 earthquake risk evaluation pilot study for hospitals and water systems in Oregon from the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries.
EPA’s earthquake resilience guide describes strategies that water systems can take to prepare for and lessen the effects of earthquakes.
Guidance from FEMA on how to install seismic restraints for mechanical equipment

Flooding

How water systems can increase their flood resiliency is an EPA guide for flooding preparation, response and recovery.
What to do when your well has flooded offers guidance for private well owners. Developed by OHA Drinking Water Services.

Drought and Water Conservation

Current drought conditions in Oregon from the U.S. Drought Portal
Incident Action Checklist on how to prepare, respond and recover from a drought from the EPA.
Drought Response and Recovery Guide for water systems including case studies from around the U.S. Developed by the EPA.
Saving water in Oregon factsheet, an introduction to Oregon’s water source and water issues from the EPA.
Water saving tips and considerations for water providers by the Oregon Water Resources Department.
Guidebook designed to assist water suppliers in preparing a Water Management Conservation Plan from the Oregon Water Resources Department.
EPA’s Water Conservation Resources for Small Drinking Water Systems includes water audits & water loss control, water efficiency, water availability strategies & controlling water loss in distribution systems.
Local Water Supply Emergency Planning Guidance for Emergency Managers includes drought and water considerations for local emergency management agencies from the Oregon Department of Emergency Management
AWWA's Designing and Evaluating Effective and Ongoing Drought Communication includes best practices, language and messaging, traditional and modern drought communication tools and other information

Cybersecurity

EPA's Cyber Incident Reporting Process Guidance for Water Systems
EPA's Cybersecurity Technical Assistance for Water Systems
EPA Cybersecurity Resources for Water Systems
Cybersecurity Guidance For Oregon Water Systems: MS Word or PDF
American Water Works Association (AWWA) Water Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Guidance
Cybersecurity Risk & Responsibility in the Water Sector from AWWA
Free services from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): vulnerability scanning, remote penetration, testing, phishing, cyber risk and vulnerability assessments
Cyber Risks & Resources for the Water & Wastewater Systems Sector from CISA
CISA's Cyber Security Evaluation Tool: a free desktop software tool that includes ransomware assessment and provides recommendations based on findings

Wildfires

Wildfires and Public Water Systems Map
Response:

Addressing Contamination of Drinking Water Distribution Systems from VOCs After Wildfires from the EPA
Post-wildfire VOC sampling guidance for water systems that were burned by fire
Customer Guidance Regarding Water Quality in Buildings Located in Areas Damaged by Wildfire
Guidance for post-fire source monitoring
Wildfire public advisory templates for loss of pressure and do not drink unsafe water alert
Well tips during a fire emergency from Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD)

Resources:

2020 Wildfires — Impacts on Drinking Water Systems and Water Quality

Technical Report: Detailed methods and findings from the 2020 Oregon VOC sampling effort and key takeaways from conversations with impacted water system operators and emergency response staff.
Key Findings: Bulleted list of key findings for each major section of the technical report.
Esri ArcGIS StoryMap: Shorter, less technical version of the larger report. Includes photos of damaged water systems and a basic map.
Esri ArcGIS Web Map: Robust online map of sampled and impacted drinking water systems and individual sample locations.
Esri ArcGIS Web Experience: Quick VOC statistics and a basic map of sampled and wildfire-impacted drinking water systems.

Wildfire Preparedness Guidance for Oregon Water Systems: MS Word or PDF
Post-Fire Water Right Considerations from OWRD
Wildfires: How Do They Affect Our Water Supplies? An EPA article on how wildfires have an impact on drinking water supplies.
Oregon Post-Wildfire and Flood Playbook
EPA Wildfire Incident Action Checklist
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) provides financial assistance for infrastructure and planning projects. Most projects qualify for some level of subsidy (i.e., loan forgiveness). Planning projects can receive funding up to $20,000 per project in loan forgiveness.
Source Water Protection grants up to $30,000 per system are also available.
Circuit Rider Program is available to help prepare funding program Letter of Interest (LOI) documents and to provide short-term technical assistance with operational issues.
Domestic Well Owner Wildfire Resources - Free domestic well testing for wildfire-impacted properties and resources to assess fire damage to private wells.
Response & Recovery to Wildfire Caused Drinking Water Contamination from Purdue University
Optimizing Water Treatment Plants After a Wildfire

Source Water Protection

Protecting your system’s water source whether it’s groundwater, surface water or GWUDI is vital to improving resiliency and ability to prepare and respond to emergencies and natural disasters. Planning for emergencies such as a contaminant spill near your source should be tailored to hazards identified in your source area.

Water system personnel can develop source water protection strategies by identifying hazards, potential contaminants or land use practices that could impact their drinking water source. Examples of source water protection include reducing runoff pollution and sedimentation by restoring riparian zones and stabilizing stream banks, land protection or easements, limiting risky human activities in source water or wellhead protection areas and public education. For additional resources, visit Drinking Water Service’s source water protection page.

Chemical Storage

The do’s and don’ts of chemical storage in a water treatment plant provided by EPA.

Hauling Water During an Emergency

Drinking water hauling guidelines from Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Services

Emergency Response and Preparedness Trainings

Strategies from the EPA on how to create resilient water systems
Past webinars on water system security and critical infrastructure protection from the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA).
The Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the National Response Framework (NRF) are national standards for preparing for and managing emergency situations. These ICS and NIMS training videos made by the EPA can be useful for operators and staff in how to manage emergencies.
EPA resilience training tools for water and wastewater utilities, includes how to plan for trainings, how to develop table top exercises, etc.
Resilience Assessments Webinar. Introduction on conducting a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment from the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC).
To help save human lives, hold regular earthquake drills in your water system with resources from The Great Oregon Shakeout.
FEMA IS-553.A: Coordination between Water Utilities and Emergency Management Agencies. This course seeks to enhance the knowledge and skills of emergency management agencies and drinking water utilities to enable more effective cross-sector relationships.