EPA WSD to Host ‘Analysis of Online Water Quality Data’ Webinar

Registration is now available for the next webinar in the “Water Quality Surveillance and Response” series hosted by EPA’s Water Security Division.

DATE:              August 14, 2018

TIME:               1:00-2:00PM (eastern)

REGISTER:      Click here

Two presentations will be offered during the web event.  The first will describe methods for conducting an exploratory analysis of historical water quality data collected from a water distribution system using online monitoring instruments. The second will describe how source water constituents of concern can be estimated in near-real-time using continuous water-quality data.  Representatives from EPA and USGS will lead the discussions.

This flyer contains more information about the event and the presentations.  SRS Webinar Series_August Webinar_Email Flyer 07052018

EPA WSD Offers Three Different Decon Opportunities

For Water Utilities – May 7:

EPA’s Water Security Division will be conducting a half-day Workshop on the Decontamination Preparedness and Assessment Strategy for Water Utilities on May 7 at the at the EPA’s Research Triangle Park Campus, North Carolina. The workshop will focus on understanding the three phases of remediation (Characterization, Decontamination and Clearance) prior to a contamination event. The workshop includes interactive discussions that examine the simulated effect of a chemical release at drinking water and wastewater utilities of a fictitious community.

At the end of the workshop, participants will:

• Understand and become familiar with the steps of the remediation process.
• Identify utility-specific actions to be taken prior to an incident.
• Understand and know where to locate other resources and tools that may be helpful to prepare for and respond to an incident.
• Be aware of public health and environmental safety considerations that apply to each phase of remediation.

For States and Water Utilities – May 7:

EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) will be conducting a panel discussion after the above workshop to introduce a State/Local Engagement Plan focusing on management of emergency contamination incidents regardless of cause. ORD is seeking feedback from state and local organizations, water utilities, and authorities on how best to optimize interactions.

For both the Workshop and Panel discussion, participants must RSVP by April 20 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-epa-international-decontamination-conference-water-utility-workshop-tickets-44158809187

For questions about this workshop, please contact Marissa Lynch at lynch.marissa@epa.gov. For more information about the panel discussion, please contact plotkin.viktoriya@epa.gov.

For States, Utilities and Researchers – May 8-10

EPA’s Office of Research and Development’s National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) will be hosting their 10th International Conference on Decontamination Research and Development held at the EPA’s Research Triangle Park Campus, North Carolina, May 8-10. The conference is designed to facilitate presentation, discussion, and further collaboration on research and development focused on an all-hazards approach to cleaning up contaminated buildings (both interior and exterior), infrastructure, and other areas/materials. The conference continues to focus strongly on matters involving CBR threat agents, but also includes all hazard elements.

Topics for this conference include:

• New chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) detection and decontamination research data or field activities and large scale demonstrations related to the detection and decontamination of biological (including agricultural threat agents and biotoxins), chemical, and radiological threat agents in indoor (in facilities) or outdoor areas/materials;
• Cross-cutting topics related to restoration, including: clean-up levels/risk assessment, exposure assessment, sampling/analysis of threat agents, fate/transport/containment, material compatibility with decontamination processes, tool and guidance development, waste management of threat agent-contaminated materials, water/wastewater decontamination, and systems approach to response and regulatory issues;
• Regional, state, and local initiatives highlighting local priorities, challenges, and science and technology developments related to response and recovery efforts from intentional or accidental environmental incidents; and
• Special topics: new to this year’s conference is the introduction of a special topics category. These topics will address emerging issues as identified by the conference committee. This year’s special topics are:
  • Emerging threats: work addressing emerging threats (e.g., fentanyl, drug lab cleanup, etc.);
  • Recent disaster response: examples of work supporting large-scale natural disaster response efforts;
  • Research to response: best practices for bridging the gap between R&D and field operations; and
  • All Hazards Remediation (non-CBR): remediation efforts related to a variety of disasters/incidents outside of core homeland security responsibilities

Participant attending the decontamination workshop on May 7 are welcome to attend the 2018 EPA International Decontamination Research and Development Conference. Participants can register for the conference at this link: https://www.epa.gov/homeland-security-research/2018-epa-international-decontamination-research-and-development

For questions about the conference, please contact Susan Blaine at 703-225-2471 or EPA_Decon@icf.com

EPA WSD Offers Training Opportunities

Water/Wastewater Boot Camp Training!

EPA just updated the Water/Wastewater All-Hazards Boot Camp computer training. The self-paced training teaches utilities to incorporate emergency management activities into their programs and build resilience to all hazards. The updated release includes the latest tools and resources from EPA and other Water Sector partners.  Click here to start the training!

 

Analytical Preparedness Full-Scale Exercise (AP-FSE) Toolkit Training

March 29, 2018 at 1:00 PM, eastern  Register Here

This training will cover how participating in a full-scale exercise can increase preparedness, how the toolkit and its resources can be leveraged to plan and conduct an exercise, and how to coordinate analytical support and further develop relationships with response partners.

 

Sampling Guidance for Unknown Contaminants

April 26, 2018 at 1:00 PM, eastern  Register Here

Participants will learn how to use WLA’s Sampling Guidance for Unknown Contaminants by examining the collection of unknown samples in response to a drinking water contamination incident. Training is intended for drinking water utilities, state and local governments, emergency responders and laboratory personnel.

 

Homeland Security Research Webinar Series

Please join our colleagues from EPA’s Homeland Security Research Center as they host a webinar to discuss how Small and Large Water Systems are Piloting Real-time Data Analytics to Improve Water Quality and Preparedness.

DATE:              March 12, 2018

TIME:               2:00-3:00PM (eastern)

REGISTER:      Here

EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program has developed and pilot deployed real-time analytics hardware and software (RTX:LINK and EPANET-RTX) in both large and small systems (Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Colorado).  The RTX:LINK and EPANET-RTX applications to the City of Flint, Michigan will help with daily operations by monitoring system-wide flows, pressures, and water age in real time.

The RTX:LINK hardware/software tool provides a simple and secure access to key water utility operational data streams, using web-based dashboards for trending and alerting. RTX:LINK helps drinking water utilities more easily access and use their water system SCADA data to provide improved water system operations and management through the power of real-time analytics.  EPANET-RTX software integrates a utility’s SCADA data with their hydraulic network model for real-time prediction of system-wide flows, pressures, and water quality. RTX:LINK has been piloted in the cities of Milford, Ohio and Flint Michigan and is in the process of being deployed at additional small and large systems across the U.S.

This webinar will describe these hardware/software tools and talk about how they are transforming the way hydraulic modeling of drinking water systems is performed and how the tools can be used to improve a water utility’s preparedness and response capabilities.

Upcoming Decon R&D Conference

EPA is hosting the 2017 International Decontamination Research and Development Conference (May 8-10, 2018 at the US EPA Campus in Research Triangle Park, NC).  While the larger Conference focuses on R&D for a range of chemical, biological, and radiological contamination incidents; this year, there will be a particular emphasis on the Decontamination Preparedness and Assessment Strategy (DPAS) and its Preparedness Checklist.

During the Conference, participants will be able to start the planning process and to identify what they need to do when they return home. Each attendee could complete the Preparedness Checklist and other worksheets using a real-world system that they have knowledge of as either an operator, TA provider or consultant. An example utility will also be described that can be used to review the strategy.

For more information about the Conference, please review the proceedings from the 2016 event at this link 2016 DECON CONFERENCE REPORT

If you are interested in participating in this Conference, please contact Marissa Lynch Lynch.Marissa@epa.gov at EPA’s Water Security Division.

EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program Update

Our colleagues at EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program have shared information on new and updated products and projects of interest to drinking water programs.  The focus is principally on treatment and distribution system protection and modeling as well as decontamination projects.

For example, the Updates contains articles and reports on the following:

• A Software Framework for Assessing the Resilience of Drinking Water Systems to Disasters with an Example Earthquake Case Study
• Water Security Toolkit User Manual: Version 1.3
• Treatment of Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances in Wash Water Using Granular Activated Carbon and Mixed-Media

The full update is available at this link Product+Newsletter+Oct+2017.pdf

EPA Homeland Security Research Webinar on R&D Solutions to Water Emergencies

Our EPA Homeland Security R&D colleagues are hosting a webinar on “Research and Development Solutions to Water Emergencies.”  The webinar will describe tools and strategies that EPA provides water utilities to improve drinking water and wastewater system resiliency to disasters, and to quickly recover from contamination involving chemical, biological, radiological (CBR) agents

DATE:              August 17, 2017

TIME:               1:00-2:00PM (eastern)

REGISTER:      https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8046096733945995267

 

 

An overview of the following tools and methods will be presented:

• EPANET-RTX (Real-Time eXtension) which are software libraries to support real-time modeling and real-time analytics of water distribution systems
• Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR) which can be utilized to model and evaluate the resilience of specific water distribution systems
• Riverine Spill Modeling System (RSMS) that supports emergency response decisions regarding drinking water plants intakes on the Ohio River. There are plans to expand this tool to other river systems
• Decontamination methods for oil spills that impact water distribution systems, and treatment of contaminated water.

EPA’s Selected Analytical Methods for Environmental Remediation and Recovery, that assists sampling and analytical method selection, also will be featured as will current research on potential exposure pathways related to high consequence pathogens (e.g., Ebola virus, Bacillus anthracis spores) in wastewater.

Homeland Security Research

EPA’s Office of Homeland Security Research has published a newsletter that contains information related to a variety of new and ongoing research initiatives.  Many of these initiatives also have application beyond the security or resiliency program.  If you are interest in learning about products that support or are related to sampling & analysis; waste management; decontamination; or fate, transport or persistence, please click this link Product Newsletter June 2016.pdf for more information.

EPA and Idaho National Lab Create a First-of-Its-Scale Water Security Test Bed

EPA’s Cincinnati-based Homeland Security Center Research Center has announced the construction of a new Water Security Test Bed (WSTB) at DOE’s Idaho National Lab.  The WSTB is designed to help address the gaps related to the science and engineering of decontaminating water distribution systems and safely disposing of high-volumes of contaminated water.

 

The WSTB replicates a section of a typical municipal drinking water system including a piping system with roughly 445 feet of pipe and two fire hydrants laid out in an “L” shape using 40-year-old, eight-inch cement mortar lined, ductile iron pipes, excavated after twenty years of use for water conveyance. Researchers built the WSTB above ground for easy access during experiments, and to facilitate fast leak detection.

 

Over the next several years, EPA and partner researchers will conduct experiments using simulants of various biological, chemical, and radioactive materials that simulate high toxic versions of these agents. At this “full” sized system, researchers will demonstrate approaches to contamination detection, sensor and model testing, infrastructure decontamination, water treatment and cyber testing developed at lab and pilot scale.

 

You may view a video that showcases the WSTB at https://youtu.be/olCs_kbegBA.  If you are interested in working with EPA researchers at the WSTB, please contact hsrp@epa.gov.  For more information on EPA’s homeland security efforts, please visit: http://www2.epa.gov/homeland-security…

DHS Partnership Bulletin

Our Colleagues at DHS have published the latest edition of their Partnership Bulletin.  Below are excerpts that you may find interesting and of use.

Coming Soon: Enhanced Cybersecurity Services

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Enhanced Cybersecurity Services (ECS) program will unveil a new service offering in early 2016. Be on the lookout for the January 2016 DHS announcement, which will include details on how the service works and how customers can subscribe. In the meantime, please visit the ECS Website or contact ECS_Program@hq.dhs.gov with questions.

Just Released: National Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Research and Development Plan

DHS announced the release of the National Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience (CISR) Research and Development (R&D) Plan earlier this month. The National CISR R&D Plan is one in a series of deliverables required by Presidential Policy Directive 21 and represents the culmination of a two-year, collaborative process involving public and private stakeholders from across the critical infrastructure sectors.

The purpose of the National CISR R&D Plan is to identify National CISR R&D priority areas that inform R&D investments, promote innovation, and guide research activities across the critical infrastructure community including within the Federal government. Completion of the National CISR R&D Plan represents a significant accomplishment and its public release sets the stage for Plan implementation.

If you have any questions about the Plan or would like to participate in the Implementation Roadmap process, please email CISR-R&D@hq.dhs.gov.

Secretary Johnson Announces Update to the National Terrorism Advisory System

On December 16, 2015, Secretary Johnson announced an update to the National Terrorism Advisory System. For more information view the fact sheet or visit the NTAS Webpage.

Planning and Response to an Active Shooter: Policy and Best Practices Guide

The second edition of the Planning and Response to an Active Shooter: Policy and Best Practices Guide is now available to the public. The publication, which has been divided into two parts, contains guidance to help people prepare for and respond to an active shooter incident. It is intended to be used by all who might be involved in an active shooter incident, including law enforcement agencies, facility tenants, and the public. For more information, please visit the DHS active shooter preparedness Webpage.

Dams Sector Releases Security Guidelines

The Dams Sector recently released a new publication, the Dams Sector Security Guidelines, that consolidates effective industry security practices into a voluntary framework for owners and operators to select and implement security activities and measures that promote the protection of personnel, public health, public safety, and public confidence. The Guidelines are intended as a valuable resource to security directors and facility managers with varying levels of security knowledge, particularly those employed by small- and medium-sized owners and operators.

The publication can be accessed through the HSIN-CI Dams Portal or by requesting a copy from the Dams Sector-Specific Agency at dams@hq.dhs.gov.

2016 National Homeland Security Conference

The National Homeland Security Association is hosting the 10th annual National Homeland Security Conference on June 28–30, 2016 in Tampa, Florida. The conference brings together more than 1,000 attendees from the homeland security and emergency management disciplines, representing local, state, and Federal government; military; and the private sector. Visit National Homeland Security Association for more information and to register.