Water Utilities Security and Emergency Response

HRPDC’s Water Resources Department coordinates initiatives for regional water and wastewater utility emergency response and infrastructure security.

HAMPTON ROADS WATER QUALITY RESPONSE PLAN

The plan establishes procedures to assemble emergency representatives of the water utilities, regional health department, and local health districts in the event of a water quality emergency to determine the correct course of action and a coordinated response to the public and/or media. This cooperative endeavor ensures that the various agencies will respond to a drinking water health threat in a unified, synchronized effort. HRPDC staff maintains the plan’s emergency contact list with annual updates.

HAMPTON ROADS WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE REGIONAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (For Official Use Only – please contact Whitney Katchmark, HRPDC to request a copy)

The Hampton Roads Water and Wastewater Systems Emergency Preparedness and Response Regional Improvement Plan (December 2012) is a strategic plan for enhancing the ability of the region’s water and wastewater utilities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

The HRPDC Directors of Utilities Committee conducted a regional assessment of the emergency preparedness and response capabilities of public water and wastewater systems in the region. Six representative risk scenarios were developed to provide a foundation for the study and to anchor data collection and analysis efforts within a framework for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities of the region’s water and wastewater systems. Local utilities were interviewed to gather information on trends in regional capabilities. The project examined interdependencies within and between utility systems in the region, the emergency management agencies, and selected infrastructure sectors. Tabletop training exercises validated trends and identified gaps and areas for improvement.