r/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Wastewater Response Protocol
Toolbox:
Planning For and Responding To
Wastewater Contamination
Threats and Incidents
December 2011
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Office of Water (Mailcode 4608T)
EPA817-B-09-001
December 2011
www.epa.gov/safewater Printed on Recycled Paper
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/Vote to Readers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prepared the
Wastewater Response Protocol Toolbox (WWRPTB) to assist utilities,
government agencies, and emergency responders in protecting
wastewater systems from contamination events. This document is
designed to be a preparedness tool but does not impose legally binding
requirements on EPA, states, or utilities. Additionally, the guidance
may or may not apply to a particular incident. EPA and state decision-
makers retain the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-case
basis that may differ from these guidelines. Any decisions regarding a
particular wastewater system should be made based on the applicable
statutes and regulations. Therefore, interested parties are free to raise
questions and objections about the appropriateness of the application
of this guide to a specific situation, and EPA will consider whether the
recommendations or interpretations in this guide are appropriate in that
situation based on the law and regulations which are not discussed in
this document.
EPA may modify this guide in the future. To determine whether EPA
has modified this guide, or to obtain additional copies, visit EPA's
Water Security website at http://www.epa.gov/watersecurity.
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Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Overview of the Response Protocol Toolbox 3
Module 1: Wastewater Utility Planning Guide 1-1
Module 2: Contamination Threat Management Guide 2-1
Module 3: Site Characterization and Sampling Guide 3-1
Module 4: Analytical Guide 4-1
Module 5: Public Health and Environmental Impact Response Guide 5-1
Module 6: Remediation and Recovery Guide 6-1
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Planning and Preparation
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Threat Warning
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Initial Threat Evaluation
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Introduction
In 2004, the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) published guidance
on planning for and responding to threats
and incidents of intentional contamination of
public drinking water supplies. This document
is entitled the Response Protocol Toolbox:
Planning for and Responding to Drinking
Water Contamination Threats and Incidents
(RPTB) (EPA-817-D-03-007, December 2003).
EPA prepared detailed guidance specifically for
the intentional contamination scenario because
of the scenario's potential for a rapid and direct
impact on public health. EPA subsequently
released a condensed version of the RPTB,
entitled the Water Security Handbook (EPA-
817-B-06-001, April 2006), to reach a wider
audience. While the shorter document does
not include all of the details examined in the
comprehensive version, it summarizes the
most essential information. Additionally, EPA
published the Response Guidelines (EPA-
817-D-04-001, August 2004), a condensed
document which includes forms and checklists
from the RPTB. The Response Guidelines is
an easy to use field document for responders
managing an ongoing contamination threat or
incident. All of these documents are available
at EPA's Water Security website www.epa.gov/
watersecurity.
Wastewater utilities are also potentially
targets of malevolent acts including
contamination. They may be a direct target
of intentional contamination, or an indirect
target by receiving water from a contaminated
drinking water system or wash water from
decontamination efforts directed toward
contaminated people, buildings, etc. The
document contained herein, the Wastewater
Response Protocol Toolbox (WWRPTB),
addresses the preparedness and response
needs for threats and contamination events
in wastewater systems. These events can
include contamination with toxicants as well as
infectious, flammable, explosive, or radioactive
substances. As an "all hazards" document,
the WWRPTB discusses the response to
accidental and negligent contamination events
in addition to its primary focus on intentional
contamination.
Rather than produce both an extended version
and a condensed version, an attempt has been
made with the WWRPTB to develop a mid-
sized document that contains some detailed
information but is still of a manageable size.
The Wastewater Response Protocol Toolbox
was developed as a collaborative effort
between EPA and the wastewater industry. The
following utilities and industry organizations
took part in this process:
• Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
of Greater Chicago
• New York City Department of
Environmental Protection
• Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
(PWSA)
• San Antonio Water System (SAWS)
• Water Environment Federation
• Water Environment Research Foundation
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In addition, the following individuals assisted with the preparation of this document:
• Jeffrey Brenner - Minnesota Department of Health
• Leonard Casson - University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering
• Homer Emery - San Antonio Water System
• David Goldbloom-Helzner - United States Environmental Protection Agency
• Nancy Love - Virginia Tech University
• Matthew Magnuson - United States Environmental Protection Agency
• Joshua Novikoff - United States Environmental Protection Agency
• John Petito - New York City Department of Environmental Protection
• Anthony Quintanilla - Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
• Roy Ramani - Water Environment Research Foundation
• David Soong - United States Environmental Protection Agency
• Stanley States - Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
• James Sullivan - Water Environment Federation
• Rebecca Trenholm - Southern Nevada Water Authority
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• Richard Weisman - United States Environmental Protection Agency
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• Dennis Wesolowski - United States Environmental Protection Agency
• James Wheeler - United States Environmental Protection Agency
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• John Whitler - United States Environmental Protection Agency
• Lawrence Zintek - United States Environmental Protection Agency
Wastewater Response Protocol Toolbox
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Overview of the
Response Protocol Toolbox
The format of the Wastewater Response
Protocol Toolbox is identical to that of its
drinking water counterpart. The guidance
document is composed of six interrelated
modules (Modules 1-6) in addition to this
introductory section.
The six modules that constitute the
Wastewater Response Protocol Toolbox are:
Wastewater Response Protocol
Toolbox:
Planning For and Responding To
Wastewater Contamination
Threats and Incidents
Toolbox Module
1. Wastewater Utility Planning Guide
2. Contamination Threat Management Guide
3. Site Characterization and Sampling Guide
4. Analytical Guide
5. Public Health and Environmental Impact Response Guide
6. Remediation and Recovery Guide
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Module 2 is considered to be the hub
of the Toolbox in that it describes the
overall recommended management
process for response to a contamination
threat.
The WWRPTB is designed to be a planning
tool. It is not intended to be a reference
document for use during an actual emergency
when decisions need to be made rapidly.
Rather, it should be read ahead of time and
integrated into a utility's Emergency Response
Plan. The Toolbox is not prescriptive, but
consists of broad guidance that should be
adapted to local conditions. Furthermore,
the WWRPTB is not based on any statutory
authority and, therefore, contains no mandatory
requirements. Use of the Toolbox is voluntary.
It is merely provided as a tool to aid utilities in
planning for contamination threats and events.
The WWRPTB offers recommendations on the
following emergency response issues:
• Who to notify
• What actions to take
• How to conduct a threat evaluation
• How to safely collect and ship samples
• How to analyze samples
• Steps to recover from a contamination event
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However, the WWRPTB does not attempt
to answer questions concerning who will be
involved in the various stages of response such
as:
• Who should respond
• Who should sample
• Who should conduct analyses
• Who should make public health decisions
• Who should manage remediation and
recovery efforts
These questions are best answered by utilities
and municipal, county, state, and Federal
authorities who have direct knowledge of local
and regional capabilities for responding to
contamination threats, the scope and extent of
the incident, as well as information regarding
any applicable legal or regulatory requirements
and standard operating procedures.
There are several ways in which utilities
can use the information contained in the
WWRPTB:
• Planning a utility's response to
contamination threats and incidents
• Revising Emergency Response Plans
• Developing Response Guidelines
An Emergency Response Plan (ERP) is a
utility's overall standard operating procedure
for dealing with a variety of emergencies
including natural disasters and accidents as
well as manmade events. Response Guidelines,
also known as Action Plans, are tailored to
ERPs that address specific major events. They
describe the response actions to take for events
that may occur at specific facilities (e.g.,
treatment plant, lift stations).
In addition to serving as a planning tool for
utilities, the WWRPTB can be used as a
reference by laboratories, regulatory agencies,
health departments, and emergency response
organizations when they are preparing their
response plans for dealing with wastewater
contamination incidents.
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