May 25, 2017
Access EPA’s Laboratory Compendium to view labs across the nation and their capabilities. The Lab Compendium is an online database of nationwide environmental laboratories available to EPA; Federal, state, and local emergency responders; laboratory personnel; and water utilities. The database contains each laboratory’s capabilities to analyze chemical, biological, and radiological contaminants. Click here to access
April 6, 2017
The National Library of Medicine has decision support tools for emergency responders to help identify chemicals in mass casualty incidents, and once identified, to provide treatment support. These tools are available online and as apps to download on smart devices. Find links to apps here: https://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/toolsnlmdimrc.html
Be prepared ahead of time for a chemical spill or toxic chemical attack; familiarize yourself with these tools and incorporate them into drills. Take a look at:
CHEMM-IST is a prototype decision support tool developed by experts in medicine and emergency response as an aid for identifying the chemical a patient was exposed to in a mass casualty incident. The focus of CHEMM-IST is only on severe cases. CHEMM-IST assumes that the patient has been exposed via the air, with potential toxic effects from inhalation, and also possible toxic effects from deposits on the skin from the air. Go to https://chemm.nlm.nih.gov/chemmist.htm
WISER (Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders) is a system designed to assist emergency responders in hazardous material incidents. The key feature of WISER is the support for identifying an unknown substance. WISER Help Identify can help an emergency responder identify and validate the unknown substance based on the following:
For more information, go to https://wiser.nlm.nih.gov/
October 24, 2016
EPA’s Water Security Division invites you and your water utilities to attend a webinar to showcase available tools and resources helpful in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all types of emergencies.
DATE: November 9
TIME: 1:00-2:00PM (eastern)
For more information, please refer to our blog of October 3 on this event.
June 6, 2016
As many of you know, our colleagues at EPA’s Water Security Division are working diligently to make sure that you have the best available tools, training, and strategies to enhance your resiliency and water security posture. To help showcase ‘what’s going on’ at WSD, they have published an electronic newsletter that contains lots of great info. Please see below:
Is Your Water Utility Prepared to Handle Contamination Incidents?
The Water Quality Surveillance and Response System Exercise Development Toolbox (EDT) helps drinking water utilities test, evaluate and improve their investigation and response procedures for distribution system contamination incidents. The toolbox can also serve as a database for procedures and future exercises. The EDT is available at: http://www.epa.gov/waterqualitysurveillance/water-quality-surveillance-and-response-system-exercise-development-toolbox
Training Resources to Build Your Water Resilience Knowledge
The EPA provides opportunities to help build water resilience knowledge within the water sector. Some trainings offer continuing education units/credits for operator certification requirements. To find out more and stay informed on training opportunities, please visit and bookmark http://www.epa.gov/waterresiliencetraining
Want to Know the Costs and Consequences of an Emergency?
Watch and share EPA’s newly released video about the Water Health and Economic Analysis Tool (WHEAT). The video demonstrates how WHEAT helps water and wastewater utilities estimate the economic costs and public health consequences of a water emergency. The video is available at: http://www.epa.gov/waterriskassessment/find-out-about-health-and-economic-impacts-water-utility-emergencies
Lab Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) — Get Free Training
Is your lab well prepared to continue with essential activities if a major operational disruption occurs? Every lab should have an effective COOP in place. Join the free online training July 21, 2016 at 1 p.m. EST — and take a big step toward enhancing your lab’s resilience! Register here http://www.eventbrite.com/e/us-epa-wlas-continuity-of-operations-plan-coop-template-training-tickets-20739688968
Boost Your Lab’s Stature: WLA Prospective Member Webcast
Do you want to enhance your lab’s visibility and credibility in the water analytics community and water sector at large? Learn about the benefits and process of becoming a Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA) member: Participate in the WLA Prospective Member Webcast on June 15, 2016 at 1 p.m. EST. To register, click here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/us-epa-wla-prospective-member-webcast-tickets-21115629416
View the Webinar on Free Preparedness Tools
If you missed the May 11, 2016 webinar on “Free Preparedness Tools for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities,” hosted by the EPA, you can still catch it online! Tools featured include: Drought Response and Recovery Guide for Water Utilities, Hazard Mitigation for Natural Disasters, Water Quality SRS Exercise Development Toolbox and others. View the webinar at: http://epawebconferencing.acms.com/p84fwh79d4f/
May 3, 2016
If you haven’t already registered, now is the time to sign up for two webcasts being offered by the EPA Water Security Division’s Water Lab Alliance.
The Perfect Storm, Ice Cold – WLA-RP Tabletop Exercise (TTX) Webcast
DATE: May 11, 2016
TIME: 1:00-2:00PM (eastern)
This TTX webcast will examine the coordination of laboratory services in response to a drinking water contamination incident. The scenario-based exercise provides utilities, state and local governments, emergency responders and laboratory personnel with the opportunity to answer questions based on their real-life experiences. In addition, participants can also rely on their knowledge of emergency response best practices and procedures contained in the Water Laboratory Alliance Response Plan (WLA-RP).
WLA Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Template Training Webcast
DATE: May 18, 2016
TIME: 1:00 – 2:00PM (eastern)
This webcast will provide an overview of the COOP Template for Drinking Water and Wastewater Laboratories and demonstrate how the COOP Template fillable form can be easily used by laboratories to develop a personalized COOP.
There is no cost to participate in either of these events; however, you must register in advance.
March 7, 2016
EPA’s Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA) Team invites you to participate in their upcoming series of webcasts and help to share these opportunities with your colleagues in the laboratory community. While participation in all of these events is strongly encouraged, in particular, the WLA Team would appreciate your help in getting the word out to your laboratory colleagues who would benefit from the March 9 Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) Library Toolkit Webcast or exploring WLA membership on April 6.
Below please find details on each webcast along with registration information. Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible.
ALL REGISTRATIONS use this link: http://www.eventbrite.com/o/epa-office-of-water-water-security-division-water-laboratory-alliance-8453004715
Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) Library Toolkit
DATE: March 9–Webcast
TIME: 1:00-2:00PM (eastern)
This webcast is designed as an overview of EPA’s “Developing a Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) Library: An Example for Drinking Water Screening” Toolkit. The webcast will provide a tutorial for how laboratories can develop an in-house LC-MS library for screening of unknown drinking water samples, based on a toolkit developed in collaboration with EPA Region 5.
WLA Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Template Training
DATE: March 15
TIME: 1:00-2:00PM (eastern)
This webcast offers an overview of the COOP Template for Drinking Water and Wastewater Laboratories developed by EPA’s WLA Team and will also demonstrate how the COOP Template fillable form can be easily used by laboratories to develop a personalized Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP).
WLA-Response Plan (WLA-RP) Tabletop Exercise (TTX)
DATE: March 23
TIME: 1:00-3:00PM (eastern)
This webcast will examine the coordination of laboratory services in response to a drinking water contamination incident. The scenario-based exercise provide utilities, state and local governments, emergency responders and laboratory personnel with the opportunity to answer questions based on their real-life experiences and knowledge of emergency response practices and procedures contained in the WLA-RP. Exercise participants will receive information on Water Sector emergency response “best practices” and free EPA water security tools and resources.
WLA Prospective Member Overview
DATE: April 6
TIME: 1:00-2:00PM (eastern)
This webcast will describe the benefits of membership; the information needed to begin the process of becoming a WLA Member, including details of the application process; and how laboratories may be compensated after a contamination incident. If you have specific questions about WLA Membership, compensation, application process or Laboratory Compendium profiles that you would like addressed during the webcast, please send them to WLA@epa.gov by COB Friday, April 1, so that they may be included in the question and answer portion of the webcast.
For more information, please go to the WLA Web page at http://www.epa.gov/waterlabnetwork. Questions about these events should be directed to the WLA Team atWLA@epa.gov.
February 29, 2016
EPA’s Water Security Division is hosting three more opportunities for states, utilities, labs, and other interested parties to view a webcast on Decontamination Strategies for Utilities – How to use EPA’s Disposal Guide. Each event will last at least 30 minutes and may last as long as an hour depending on the number of questions posed by participants. The content for each event is the same and replicates the February 22 webcast – so, if you missed that one, there are three more opportunities!
DATES: March 7, 22, and April 5
TIME: 1:00-2:00PM (eastern)
Each webcast will describe and illustrate the usability of the Containment and Disposal of Large Amounts of Contaminated Water: A Support Guide for Water Utilities when handling large amounts of contaminated water. Multiple stakeholders (i.e., water utility operators and managers, laboratories, first responders, and local, state and Federal agencies) can enhance preparedness using this guide.
There is no fee to participate in this webcast; however, space is limited, so please sign up soon. You are also encouraged to share this announcement with your colleagues. The link to the webcast will be provided following registration.
Questions? Please email Marissa Lynch (EPA Water Security Division) at Lynch.marissa@epa.gov.
February 16, 2016
Register today for the upcoming Decontamination Strategies for Utilities – How to use EPA’s Disposal Guide webcast on February 22, 2016. This webcast will describe and illustrate the usability of the Containment and Disposal of Large Amounts of Contaminated Water: A Support Guide for Water Utilities when handling large amounts of contaminated water. Multiple stakeholders (i.e., water utility operators and managers, laboratories, first responders, and local, state and federal agencies) can enhance preparedness by using this guide.
DATE: February 22, 2016
*TIME: 1:00-2:00PM (eastern)
*The webcast will begin at 1:00 PM (eastern) and will last 30-60 minutes, depending on the number of questions posed by participants. Space is limited, so please sign up as soon as possible and also share this announcement with your colleagues.
If you have any questions please send an email to Marissa Lynch at Lynch.marissa@epa.gov.
February 4, 2016
The Water Lab Alliance is preparing to host a series of webinars that cover an array of lab related activities and at least two topics of more particular interest to the water utility community. Continuity of Operations Planning and Tabletop Exercises are just two of the lab related events. Please share this information with your labs!
Two other web trainings in the series are a bit broader in scope and are recommended for water utilities as well as the laboratory community:
Decontamination Strategies for Utilities – How to use EPA’s Disposal Guide will be broadcast several times – February 22, March 7, March 22, and April 5 – in hour long webcasts.
On April 26, Unknown Sampling Guidance will be the focus for the hour long web event.
To register for any and/or all of these events, please go to the Water Security Division WLA webpage at: http://www.eventbrite.com/o/epa-office-of-water-water-security-division-water-laboratory-alliance-8453004715
More information on each of these events are available by clicking this link WLA Training Opportunities Flyer
January 19, 2016
As many of you know, the Environmental Protection Agency has been redesigning all of its web pages. This means that many of the links that we have come to rely on no longer work or have been modified. Our colleagues at the Water Security Division have provided a new set of links that should help you “rediscover” their web pages, tools, and helpful information.
General Risk, Response, and Recovery: http://www.epa.gov/waterresilience
Risk Assessment and Reduction: http://www.epa.gov/waterriskassessment
Climate Ready Water Utilities: http://www.epa.gov/crwu
Emergency Response: http://www.epa.gov/waterutilityresponse
Water Lab Alliance: http://www.epa.gov/waterlabnetwork
Training & Exercises: http://www.epa.gov/waterresiliencetraining
Community Based Water Resilience: http://www.epa.gov/communitywaterresilience
Emergency Funding: http://www.epa.gov/fedfunds
Water Quality Surveillance & Response System: http://www.epa.gov/waterqualitysurveillance
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