Emergency Planning Goes Digital They call this the age of the internet, so it probably comes as little surprise to hear that there is a whole host of computer and mobile tools designed to make emergency and adaptation planning easier and more effective for utilities and communities. We’ve highlighted a few U.S. EPA tools below, but there are many more with a range of features. If you’d like support finding the right tool for your system, drop us a line at 1-866-522-2681 or info@wateroperator.org. And for those who just prefer hardcopy, click here for a list of free emergency response plan templates. Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems This PC-based tool contains materials to assist those interested in planning and facilitating tabletop exercises that focus on water sector-related issues. Fifteen customizable scenarios address natural hazards and man-made incidents and introduce the potential impacts of climate change on the water sector. Water Utility Response On-The-Go The homepage of this mobile-friendly website displays a menu of links for tracking severe weather, contacting response partners, responding to incidents, taking notes and recording damage, informing incident command, and accessing additional planning info. Some of the external links from the site are not formatted for mobile viewing, and the .pdf forms may require an Adobe Reader app if you wish to fill them out on your mobile device. However, the site overall is well organized and easy to navigate, and can be a great tool for utilities dealing with weather emergencies and natural disasters. Click here to watch a short video about the site. Community-Based Water Resiliency Tool The CBWR Tool is an easy way to find out how prepared your community is to handle emergencies that impact water systems and learn about tools and resources that can be used to build resilience. A summary report is provided after the self-assessment with suggestions and recommended resources for increasing resilience. Users can then navigate to the CBWR toolbox, where they can find the best tool for their needs from over 400 tools and resources. Learn more about the benefits of the CBWR tool in this A Day Without Water video. Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool This risk assessment tool allows water utilities to evaluate potential impacts of climate change. The tool guides users through identifying regional climate change threats and designing adaptation plans. After assessment, CREAT provides a series of risk reduction and cost reports to allow you to evaluate various adaptation options as part of long-term planning. Visit the U.S. EPA YouTube channel for a complete introduction and videos showcasing how systems throughout the country have used CREAT to boost their preparedness. April 21, 2016 By User Asset Management, Emergency Response adaptation, Emergency response planning, featured document, online tools, resilience 0 0 Comment Read More »
Do You Rely on Your SCADA System Too Much? *Originally posted on SmallWaterSupply.org July 9, 2012 by Steve Wilson. I was at an asset management workshop recently that included a number of state regulators. The theme was asset management and certification, but O & M and the tie-in to understanding your assets kept coming up. O & M Is Tied To Asset Management I realize the title of this blog post is about SCADA systems, and many small communities don't even have them, but whether you use SCADA or not, the principles behind good O & M are important for all systems. It's all about understanding your system, the equipment, infrastructure, and treatment, as well as the process of running the plant (O & M). I know everyone hears about the importance of testing generators monthly and servicing pumps when recommended, but many times these things are low priority. Weeks turn into months and months turn into years. I was at a plant this summer that was using a federal grant to get a new generator for their water plant. I had just been in the wastewater plant for this same community this last fall where there was a perfectly good generator that would serve the purpose. I brought this up to the consultant managing the grant, but he said it wouldn't work. Unfortunately, the community had no warranty on the generator because they didn't follow the maintenance schedule. It had sat in a garage for number of years and not been ran. As a taxpayer, that's frustrating, but as a small systems advocate, it gives us all a black eye. So On To Best Practices At the workshop, someone from Michigan mentioned that one of their larger communities was planning to shut down their SCADA system for a week. This wasn't being done to allow upgrades or changes to the system, this was being done because the Water Supt. wanted to make sure his staff knew how to run the plant. This system is being proactive, both from an emergency standpoint, and also from an operations standpoint. We all rely on technology and automatic this or that for so many things these days, but to really "know" your plant, to be able to troubleshoot and tell when something isn't quite running right, you really have to have a comprehensive understanding of how your system works. I Know, You Already Know Your Plant That Well You are thinking, I already have that level of understanding of my plant, I know when something doesn't sound right, look right, or even feel right. Thats great, but what about the next level of support? What happens when you are not there? Do you ever take vacation or have to be out of town for a day or two? Is the person left in charge of your plant as familiar with your system as you are? Do they know your plant well enough to troubleshoot when a problem pops up? They need to have that level of understanding, or have something they can turn to that has those details. That brings us back to one of those O & M things that are a pain, take time, and because you know the plant so well, keep putting off or don't see a need for. You should have an O & M manual for your plant. No one else can write it, and its only as useful as the information you put into it. It comes down to being prepared and taking full responsibility for the operation of the plant. That also means being prepared in case you can't be there for some reason. Getting Started First of all, develop an emergency response plan. There are templates available from a number of sources. You can contact a TA provider you work with, they will be able to get you started. If you want to look at some of the better ones, type in "emergency response plan" in our document keyword search, and use "type = templates". But, for those of you that already have an ERP, take the next step, develop an O & M plan for your plant. Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Florida require O & M plans, I'm sure there are others. New Jersey has an O & M template that operators can use to help them develop their O & M plan, as do Florida, Louisiana, and Vermont. Georgia has a guidance manual as well. It was also brought up at the workshop that Colorado is developing an O & M and training manual geared toward walking you through developing an O & M plan for your facility. It sounds like it will be a great resource. Once the Colorado document is available, we'll post an update and provide those details. Lastly, if you need some help, email or call us. We can either help you directly or find someone in your area who can help you get started. March 8, 2016 By User Asset Management, Business Mindset, Emergency Response, Sustainability safety, asset management, emergency response, sustainability 0 0 Comment Read More »
Free Board Training Offered for Missouri Utilities Being on the board at your water utility can be a daunting task. Many small water utilities face a host of managerial challenges, including inadequate revenue, deteriorating infrastructure, and difficulty finding and securing a qualified operator. In addition, small towns can make conflict of interest cases and other infringements on board ethics difficult to avoid. In recognition of these challenges, many TA providers around the country have started offering board training and support in addition to their operator resources. One organization offering free training for boards and councils in their state is Missouri Rural Water Association. MRWA is offering free 2-hour evening trainings for water boards and councils designed to be presented during or prior to a regularly scheduled board/council meeting. These trainings cover two to three management topics from a list including board/council member responsibilities; how to conduct an effective meeting; Sunshine Law; water system basics; utility rates and finances; conflict of interest/ethics; project financing; and asset management. In addition to these short trainings, MRWA will also offer 1-day, 6-hour courses intended to satisfy the requirements for water district board members to receive attendance fees for board meetings a per RSMo 247. If your water utility board or council in the state of Missouri would like to schedule a MRWA training session, please contact Liz Grove at 573-231-6797 or by email. If you think your board would benefit from management training but you don’t live in Missouri, you have a few options. You can check out our event calendar, and filter by your state and one of our management categories (Asset Management, Financial Management, or Utility Management). Or you can check with the TA providers in your area, including the state Rural Water Association and your RCAP region. February 12, 2016 By Cassia Smith Asset Management council member water training, water council training, Missouri training, utility board training 0 0 Comment Read More »