Security Planning for Drinking Water Facilities

• Vulnerability Assessments
• Emergency Operations Plans
• Security Enhancement Planning/Design

Weston Solutions, Inc., (WESTON^®) has teamed with US Investigations Services, Inc. (USIS) to conduct Vulnerability Assessment and Security and Operational Enhancement activities for public water systems nationwide.  WESTON’s over 45 years of environmental engineering and assessment expertise has been paired with USIS’ threat assessment and security design experience to deliver a comprehensive service unmatched in the industry.

The events of the past year have emphasized the immediate need to identify inherent security weaknesses within our nation’s critical infrastructures.  As the lead federal agency tasked to identify and address the country’s drinking water supply vulnerabilities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has used its mandate to issue Security Planning Grants of up to $115,000 to over 300 of the nation’s 450 eligible large public drinking water utilities.  Grant recipients must complete a comprehensive vulnerability assessment of their facilities within 6 months of the award, with the end of 2002 as a final deadline.

The WESTON/USIS team is uniquely positioned to quickly mobilize personnel and resources to meet our water utility clients’ assessment requirements.  Seamlessly integrated under a single program manager, the WESTON/USIS team aligns itself with our clients’ missions, assessing all aspects of facility security and delivering compatible recommendations addressing environmental, physical, and information-based (i.e., Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition [SCADA] system) security concerns.

WESTON/USIS team personnel are trained and licensed to apply Sandia National Laboratories’ Risk Assessment Methodology for Water Systems (RAM-WSM).  The only assessment methodology recommended by EPA, RAM-W is a comparative technique designed to characterize a water utility’s operations and conditions, define threat parameters, identify priority facilities and critical assets (potential targets), and evaluate and improve their security.  The assessment is an interactive process, incorporating comparative worksheets and evaluation techniques to positively identify and rank critical security concerns.  Team members perform the following:

• Conduct Vulnerability Assessments that identify critical assets and deliver recommendations for cost-effective security and procedural improvements to protect against potential threats.
• Develop Emergency Operations Plans that guide immediate response actions, responsibilities, and remediation activities to address events such as power loss, water supply contamination, distribution loss, or acts of terrorism.
• Design Facility Security and Operational Enhancements by developing the procedures, systems, operations, and countermeasures required to make critical components unattractive targets for vandalism and terrorism.

Each unique water system serves a broad constituency and maintains unique source, treatment, and transmission structures.  The WESTON/USIS team works closely with the utility to ensure assessments accomplish established goals tailored to the specific needs of the water authority.

Vulnerability assessments are the first critical step in an evolving process to maintain public confidence in the safety of our water supply systems.  They provide a basis for comparing the cost of protection against the risks posed and build a stable platform from which to face the challenges of the new century.

Key projects highlighting the WESTON/USIS Team’s unique capabilities

• Model Risk Management Plan and Guidance, American Water Works Association Research Foundation (AWWARF), Denver, Colorado. WESTON worked closely with AWWARF and EPA on an intense 2-year project to develop the Guidance Document for Development of Model Risk Management Programs as a resource for water and wastewater systems nationwide.  WESTON surveyed the industry, reviewed accidental release data, and studied a broad range of risk management plans (RMPs).  The results were used to develop a model RMP to provide managers with guidance on Hazard Assessment, Prevention, Emergency Response, and Risk Management Planning and to help them comply with EPA RMP and OSHA Process Safety Management regulations.
• Model RMP Application at Water Treatment Plant, Chester Water Authority (CWA), Chester, Pennsylvania. WESTON applied the model RMP guidance developed for AWWARF to prepare the chlorination process RMP at CWA’s Octorara Water Treatment Plant for U.S. EPA submittal.   WESTON conducted a site-specific off-site consequences analysis and helped CWA integrate EPA RMP compliance protocols into existing policies and procedures.  WESTON also helped CWA develop an emergency response program to satisfy RMP regulations.
• Design and Construction of Drinking Water System Improvements, Dover Air Force Base (DAFB), Dover, Delaware. WESTON is upgrading DAFB’s drinking water system, improving the chlorination process and defensive features.  A circulation loop is being constructed to ensure proper chlorine levels are maintained throughout the extensive distribution system.  System weaknesses have been identified and hardened by WESTON to prevent injuries caused by vandalism, sabotage, or terrorist acts.  Automated security improvements are being incorporated into the base’s existing SCADA system to foster early detection of system breaches.

Weston Solutions, Inc., is a leading environmental remediation, redevelopment, and management and compliance firm, delivering comprehensive solutions to complex problems for industries and governments worldwide.  WESTON has extensive experience in water, wastewater, and other infrastructure design, construction, and operations.

USIS is the largest personnel security services company in North America, offering tailored security consulting services to government agencies and commercial entities.