Water Utility Emergency Planning
I recently came across an excellent case study of a multi-year water utility emergency planning initiative, and I thought it was a great overview of how a typical water and wastewater utility might approach emergency preparedness. The utility highlighted in the case study has refocused its planning approach in recent years, primarily based on the company’s belief that the emergency planning that worked 20 years ago is no longer adequate.
The case study centers on the water and wastewater department of Framingham, MA, which serves 70,000 customers and is located about 20 miles outside of Boston.
Framingham’s Approach to Water Utility Emergency Planning
Like most water / wastewater utilities, Framingham’s operations are comprised of multiple facilities, and its overall emergency preparedness approach consists of the following steps:
- Identify the locations of all facilities / assets
- Map out the infrastructure (i.e., pipes & plants)
- Brainstorm to identify the threats or risk factors for each facility / asset / pipe (includes natural risks like hurricanes, water main breaks, wastewater backups, and extreme flooding, as well as manmade problems like SCADA system hacking)
- Rank the potential frequency and severity of each identified risk or threat
- Develop threat mitigation plans for each identified threat, with a focus on solving each problem while ensuring no service interruptions
- Allow employees to practice emergency decision-making by executing several tabletop exercises throughout the year
- Review the plan quarterly, and update the plan annually (or more frequently if something significant changes during the year, especially the emergency contact list)
Framingham utilizes several industry tools to fortify its emergency planning, such as the Risk Assessment Methodology and Critical Asset Protection (RAMCAP) standard developed by the American Water Works Association (AWWA). But the most important element of Framingham’s preparedness – or any water utility emergency planning efforts – is that it is ingrained in the company culture.
