Resources and Tools to Help Secure Your Utility's Infrastructure

Infrastructure Security Month is held annually in November to promote the vital role of critical infrastructure and to remind us why it is important to strengthen the security and resilience of America's critical infrastructure. Below are some useful resources and tools to help your utility secure your infrastructure and increase resilience to natural disasters and malevolent acts that threaten the water sector.

Water Contaminant Information Tool (WCIT)
WCIT is a secure database containing information on priority contaminants of concern for drinking water and wastewater systems to help systems prepare for, respond to, and recover from contamination incidents.

Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU)
CRWU initiative assists drinking water and wastewater utilities in building resilience to climate impacts.

Resilient Strategies Guide for Water Utilities
The Resilient Strategies Guide introduces drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities to the adaptation planning process. Utilities can use the Guide to identify their planning priorities, vulnerable assets, potential adaptation strategies and available funding sources.

Incident Action Checklists for Water Utilities
These 12 checklist templates help with emergency preparedness, response and recovery activities. Incidents include wildfires, flooding, power outages, cybersecurity, and more. 

Federal Funding for Water and Wastewater Utilities in National Disasters (Fed FUNDS)
Fed FUNDS provides information tailored to water and wastewater utilities on federal disaster and mitigation funding programs from FEMA, USDA, EPA, HUD, SBA, and USBR.

Webinar: Decentralized Wastewater Resources for Tribes

In this webinar recording you’ll learn how to access our clearinghouse of information specifically for wastewater and water operators on WaterOperator.org. You will be shown how to access links to over 15,000 free, publicly available resources, a nationwide calendar, and much more. This webinar was focused specifically on resources that relate to decentralized wastewater for tribes.

The webinar will answer questions such as:

• What is WaterOperator.org?
• What topics does the website cover?
• What onsite wastewater resources are available?
• How to find the Tribal Contact Manager?
• What resources are available for tribal personnel about decentralized wastewater?

Below you’ll find a recording of the training, held in September 2023.

Asset Management Video Resources

We have over 200 videos on Asset Management in our Documents Database that provide valuable information on how to maintain and manage the equipment, buildings, land, personnel, and any other large, expensive components that are needed to deliver safe and clean water to utility customers. 

Below, we have featured three informative videos/ webinars that can be found in our database. However, if you are interested in looking through videos and webinars on other topics just select "TYPE" in the dropdown then choose "Videos." Once you make that selection, a second dropdown will appear where you can choose "CATEGORY" then select whatever topic you are interested in seeing videos or webinars about (the example image above shows "Asset Management" selected.) The last step is to click the "Retrieve Documents" button to see your results.  

Asset Management Overview

This short video from the WSU Environmental Finance Center provides an overview of asset management components and how they can be applied to fit your utility's needs. 

Asset Management 101 – Finding Financial Assistance for Infrastructure Upgrades

This 1 hour 30 minute U.S. EPA webinar recording from the Technical Assistance Webinar Series: Improving CWA-NPDES Permit Compliance, provides a high-level orientation to the core concepts of asset management, how to prioritize system needs, how to secure funding, what resources are available for small communities, and who to go to for help.

The speakers discuss case studies and highlight tools that small communities will find helpful in preparing long term plans and successfully implementing them. 

Asset Management Plans and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)

This webinar from U.S. EPA discusses the components of asset management plans, how State CWSRF programs are implementing them, and various incentives that borrowers receive for funding projects that include asset management plans. 

Septic System Contamination Risks

Can a septic system contaminate a well?

Have you ever thought about where the water goes when you flush a toilet? If you have a septic system, this question may be more important than you think. Whether it is the largest advanced wastewater treatment plant in the world or the septic system in your back yard, all wastewater systems need regular maintenance. This will not only extend the life of your system, but it will also help prevent it from potentially contaminating the surface water and groundwater.

How does a septic system contaminate the surface water and groundwater?

Water from your toilets, showers, and other appliances contains harmful bacteria, viruses, and nutrients that could make you sick if it were to enter your well without being properly treated first. Maintenance issues like a full or cracked septic tank or a plugged drainfield can cause untreated wastewater to enter the surface water or groundwater.  
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the most serious documented problems involve contamination of surface waters and ground water with disease-causing pathogens and nitrates.

Let’s take a peek at a conventional septic system and see how contamination can occur:

Your House:

• Most of the wastewater will generate from the kitchen and bathroom. Watch what you put down your drains. 
• Remember the three P’s: poop, pee, and (toilet) paper. Those are the only things that should be flushed down a toilet. 
• Avoid flushing other chemicals or medications down the drain or toilet as they could contaminate your well. 

Septic Tank: 

• Wastewater exits the home through a pipe and enters the septic tank which is buried and watertight.
• The solids settle at the bottom forming sludge, while fats, oils, and grease float to the top and form scum. Sludge is broken down by microorganisms that also destroy some of the contaminants in the wastewater. 
• If a tank is leaking, contaminated wastewater will exit the tank before it is treated. A septic tank needs serviced and pumped on a regular basis to ensure it is working properly.

Drainfield: 

• In your yard, a series of shallow trenches were placed to create the drainfield. The partially treated wastewater flows from the septic tank into the drainfield and slowly filters down through the soil until it reaches the groundwater.  
• Overloading your drainfield with too much water or having it clogged with solids will cause sewage to surface in your yard or even back into your house.

Treatment in the Soil: 

• Most bacteria, viruses, and some nutrients are removed when the wastewater filters through the soil.
• Soil cannot remove all medicines, cleaning products, and other harmful chemicals, so they pose the risk of entering the groundwater. 
• Wastewater that surfaces in the yard may contaminate your drinking water through an unsecured cap or cracks in the well casing.

Groundwater: 

• Groundwater is water that is beneath the Earth’s surface and is held in the soil or in the pores and crevices of rocks. 
• Any contaminants that remain after leaving the septic system may seep into the groundwater. 
• The biggest risk for a well to become contaminated is if it is in the path of groundwater flow beneath a septic system.

Further Resources:

• Septic Systems and Drinking Water | Diagram & Table from EPA
• Understand Your Pump Septic System | 3D model from TPC HD
• How does a Septic System Work? | Video from SEFC

RCAP’s Onsite/ Decentralized Program

RCAP (Rural Community Assistance Partnership) has an onsite/decentralized program that provides training, technical assistance, and financial resources to assist individual homeowners, neighborhoods and entire communities that rely on inadequate septic systems for their waste disposal. 

This program is mostly funded by U.S. EPA through the Rural Treatment Works and National Priority Area 2 grants. RCAP can offer hands-on training with community members, sanitarians, and any professionals who work with onsite systems as well as technical assistance. RCAP has been participating in the Biden administration’s Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative in six of the 11 pilot communities located in persistent poverty/ disadvantaged areas.

Recently, we spoke with Sarah Buck, RCAP’s Chief Programs Officer, and she provided more information on this valuable resource for anyone working with onsite/decentralized wastewater systems. 

How does this program allow RCAP to help people with onsite/decentralized systems?

There are many ways that this program can help!

• With technical assistance providers, we can help set up a responsible management entity (RME) for decentralized systems.
• We’re able to do mapping activities to map septic systems in a community.
• We can look at areas with high concentrations of septic systems that pose environmental & health risks and help them review all of their options including interconnecting them or assisting with setting up a publicly owned water treatment works or decentralized system.
• We can help find funding to fund these types of projects in disadvantaged communities.

What are the eligible areas?

• Training and technical assistance generally is for communities of 10,000 or less in all 50 states and the US Territories including on Tribal lands/for Tribal septic owners.

Is there financial assistance available?

• Most of RCAP’s regional partners participate in the USDA Decentralized and Well Revolver Fund which provides funding that well and septic owners can use for replacements or updates.

How to apply for assistance? 

• Go to RCAP’s website and fill out the “Get Assistance” Form which will go to someone at the national office. They will then send that form to a regional partner near you to set up a technical assistance consultation.
• Find your local provider on RCAP’s website and contact them directly.
• Fill out U.S. EPA’s Water Technical Assistance Request Form and be assigned a provider that way.

Who are the partners that are assisting with this program?

• RCAP & their 6 Regional Partners
  • Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) – The Western RCAP
    • Serving Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington
  • RCAP Solutions (RSOL) – The Northeastern and Caribbean RCAP
    • Serving all six New England States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Midwest Assistance Program (MAP) – The Midwest RCAP
    • Serving Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming
  • Southeast Rural Community Assistance Partnership (SERCAP) – The Southeastern RCAP
    • Serving Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia
  • Communities Unlimited (CU) – The Southern RCAP
    • Serving Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas
  • Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP) – The Great Lakes RCAP
    • Serving Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin
• National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA)
• WaterOperator.org
• Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA)
• Moonshot Missions (a new national EFC)

Further Resources?

• Sign up for A Drop of Knowledge and Rural Matters to receive updates on work RCAP is doing
• RCAP hosts multiple webinars a year dedicated to onsite/decentralized topics | View Archive
• New Onsite Wastewater Treatment System User Guide created in collaboration with NOWRA | View PDF
• Developing a new Septic Assessment Tool in collaboration with WaterOperator.org that will be piloted fall 2023 and will be available as a fillable PDF online

How Did You Support SepticSmart Week?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) hosted the 11th annual SepticSmart Week from September 18-22, 2023. Many water industry professionals took to social media to share U.S. EPA's helpful tips with septic system owners in their communities.

1. Think at the Sink! What goes down the drain has a big impact on your septic system. Fats, grease, and solids can clog a system’s pipes and drainfield.
2. Don’t Overload the Commode! A toilet is not a trash can. Disposable diapers and wipes, feminine hygiene products, coffee grounds, cigarette butts, and cat litter can damage a septic system.
3. Don’t Strain Your Drain! Use water efficiently and stagger use of water-based appliances. Too much water use at once can overload a system that hasn’t been pumped recently.
4. Shield Your Field! Tree and shrub roots, cars, and livestock can damage your septic drainfield.
5. Keep It Clean! Contamination can occur when a septic system leaks due to improper maintenance. Be sure your drinking water is safe to drink by testing it regularly.
6. Protect It and Inspect It! Regular septic system maintenance can save homeowners thousands of dollars in repairs and protect public health.

This year's SepticSmart Week creative challenge was in partnership with Youth Engaged 4 Change and asked students ages 11-19 what “septic systems of the future” might look like. Participants were encouraged to demonstrate their thoughts on how future septic systems could sustainably safeguard community health and protect waterways. The top three winners received $100 gift cards and included Tyler’s Diagram showing a new and improved drain field regulator, Karolina’s Poem “Future Septic Systems”, and Ahana’s Essay “Septic Systems of the Future.”

Private Well Class: Septic Systems 101

Through our sister program at PrivateWellClass.org, our team hosts monthly webinars. Each year the most popular training is Septic Systems 101. In this webinar recording you’ll learn about septic system management as part of a larger strategy to protect the water in your private well. Using best practices to maintain your septic system can also keep it in proper working order and prolong its life. The webinar will answer questions such as: 

• What is safe to flush down your drains?
• Do you need to put additives in your septic tank?
• How to prolong the life of your system?

Below you'll find a recording of the most recent training, held in July 2023.

Hurricane Season Resources

Peak hurricane season starts mid-August and typically lasts through October. Here are some resources to help your water utility to weather the storms as best as you can. 

According to the National Hurricane Center, there are five major hazards associated with hurricanes. These hazards include storm surge & storm tide, heavy rainfall & inland flooding, high winds, as well as rip currents and tornadoes. Storm surge can travel several miles inland and can cause dangerous saltwater intrusion in areas with estuaries and bayous. 

Use this Storm Surge Inundation Map from U.S. EPA to view your utility’s hurricane risk, mitigate flood damage, and get real-time coastal storm advisories. Rainfall amounts are not directly related to the strength of tropical cyclones but rather to the speed and size of the storm, as well as the geography of the area. This means that it is important to track the rise of water levels even after the storm has passed and to be prepared for flooding. 

U.S. EPA's Flood Resilience Guide is a helpful resource to know your flooding threat and identify practical mitigation options to protect your assets. Hurricane force winds (74 mph or more) can destroy buildings and cause power outages as debris flies around so emergency managers should plan on having their evacuations complete and their personnel sheltered before the onset of tropical storm-force winds, not hurricane-force winds. Access U.S. EPA's newly updated Power Resilience Guide to learn about strategies water and wastewater utilities can use to increase resilience to power outages.

Further Hurricane Season Resources:

• Hurricane Tracker | National Hurricane Center
  • Use this tool to view storm activity in your area to better prepare for potential landfall of a hurricane.
• Hurricane Incident Action Checklist | U.S. EPA
  • This checklist outlines key actions that can be taken immediately before, during, and after the event to mitigate impacts. 
• Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) | U.S. EPA
  • CREAT is a tool that assists water sector utilities in assessing climate-related risks to utility assets and operations. Throughout CREAT’s five modules, users consider climate impacts and identify adaptation options to increase resilience.
• NHC Outreach Resources | National Hurricane Center
  • Find resources and information about the practical program of education and outreach on hazardous tropical weather offered by the National Hurricane Center.
• Federal Funding for Utilities in National Disasters (Fed FUNDS) | U.S. EPA
  • Fed FUNDS presents information tailored to water and wastewater utilities on federal disaster and mitigation funding programs from EPA, FEMA, HUD and SBA. 
• Emergency Response Tools | U.S. EPA
  • EPA has a variety of tools and guidance to support drinking water and wastewater utility preparedness and response.
     

Tap Talk Podcast: Season 3 Recap

With our work here on WaterOperator.org as well as our sister program PrivateWellClass.org, our team has a unique national role that weaves in and out of environmental health, water infrastructure, and public policy. While we use our science backgrounds to get the job done well, our purpose is fundamentally about communication. We want to connect people with information and each other.

Tap Talk: The Drinking Water in Rural America Podcast connects professionals across the drinking water community with ideas to extend and enhance our work

The third season was released throughout 2022 & 2023 and featured the following 12 episodes:

TT025 – Understanding Drought and Drinking Water: learn more about drought issues across the U.S. and how water and health professionals can network with experts in this area.

TT026 – Focusing on the Customer: perspectives from a water well contractor and industry expert on customer knowledge, shifts in the industry and regulatory landscape, and the one thing that could make all the difference for public health.

TT027 – The Future of Operator Certification: learn about water and wastewater certification in a post-pandemic world.

TT028 – Data and Details from an Effective Program: insights on running a successful outreach program from a public health perspective, a Minnesota private well forum, and the shift towards policy that the outreach program has taken.

TT029 – The Power of Persistence: stories of persistence and resilience when it comes to protecting public health in rural Alaska.

TT030 – Improving Safe Water Access for the Cherokee Nation: perspectives from a licensed water operator and registered sanitarian who works for the Cherokee Nation. This conversation highlights the innovative solutions the Tribe is using to address water access as well as obstacles that still remain.
 
TT031 – Funding Your Water Infrastructure Project: insights on the importance of communication and outreach in gaining support for a project. This episode talks about the true cost of not updating a Saco, Maine wastewater plant and the steps local government officials took to secure the needed funding. 

TT032 – Research for Water Equity (Part 1): exploring some of the challenges of improving access to safe water, particularly for private well users. This episode highlights how both social understanding and real data are needed to design equitable solutions.

TT033 – Research for Water Equity (Part 2): a discussion of alternate perspectives on real private well problems. The conversation reiterates the need for personalized solutions, raises various research questions, and shares opinions on the needed direction for public outreach.

TT034 – Leveraging Passion to Protect Public Health: learn about the Montgomery County private well program in Pennsylvania where there is no statewide well construction code or other private well regulations. Despite this, Montgomery County is leading the way to greater public health protection in the state.

TT035 – The State of Drinking Water: learn more about the most pressing challenges facing public water systems and state regulators, efforts to increase compliance, and sustainability for the most disadvantaged communities as we approach 50 years of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

TT036 – Busting Myths about Regionalization: a conversation on the fundamentals of regionalization and why these conversations are so important to the sustainability of small and rural water systems.

You’re invited to discuss the episodes in our LinkedIn Group and if you choose to share on Twitter, please use the hashtag #TapTalkPodcast. Don’t forget to subscribe via Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app!

RCAP's A Drop of Knowledge: Recent Article Roundup #1

A Drop of Knowledge is a monthly digital article from Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP.) The articles focus on topics like wastewater, drinking water, policy, and infrastructure in rural America. It contains how-to’s, tips, and guidance from more than 300 technical assistance providers (TAPs) across the country. Some recent featured articles are linked below:

• Flushable Wipes Causing Pump Clogs? Pump Flow Tests Can Alert Operators Faster
• A Look Inside RCAP’s Fly-In: Meeting With the Team Behind the Fly-In
• “To Pump, or Not to Pump, that is the question…”
• Changing Temperatures Can Set Back Wastewater Lagoons
• How to Determine the True Cost of a System When Conducting a Rate Study
• Getting the Lead Out - Lead and Copper Compliance in New Jersey

Looking for something else? Find more articles and subscribe to A Drop of Knowledge.