(TLP:CLEAR) EPA’s Strengthening Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow Program

Summary: EPA’s Office of Water and Emergency Response (OWERC), as the Sector Risk Management Agency for the water and wastewater sector, offers several free resources, products, and services to utilities and other water sector stakeholders across the country as part of its Strengthening Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow (SWIFT) Program.

Analyst Note: The purpose of the SWIFT program is to help water and wastewater utilities strengthen their resilience to natural hazards and disasters. “Through technical assistance, SWIFT provides location-specific natural hazard data and practical risk assessment tools to identify and evaluate resilient strategies. With this support, SWIFT helps promote a better understanding of natural hazard threats and their impacts on vulnerable assets, providing the guidance needed to make risk-informed infrastructure and investment decisions,” according to EPA.

SWIFT also offers guidance on financing infrastructure improvement projects. Water utilities can request free technical assistance through SWIFT on EPA’s website. SWIFT’s tools and resources include:

• Resilient Strategies Guide: A free online tool for water sector utilities beginning to assess potential risks to their systems.
• VSAT: A free online tool for water sector utilities pursing comprehensive risk assessment and resilience planning.
• Hazard Maps: Explore data resources to enhance understanding and assess risks of natural hazards.
• Case Studies: Learn about water utilities’ natural hazard concerns, risk assessments, and adaptive measures.
• Funding Utility Resilience Projects: Review available funding programs, technical assistance options, and other financial resources to help implement water utility resilience projects.

Original Source: https://www.epa.gov/waterutilityresponse/strengthening-water-infrastructure-tomorrow-swift

Additional Reading:

• Emergency Response for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities

Related WaterISAC PIRs: 16 & 17