Last month, on April 1, EPA’s Water Infrastructure and Cyber Resilience Division (WICRD) emailed approximately 9,930 community (drinking) water systems to notify them that they are required to comply with Section 2013 of America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) during the upcoming 2025-2026 AWIA cycle and that EPA has started accepting certifications.
Signed into law in October 2018, AWIA Section 2013, which revised Section 1433 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), requires community water systems serving 3,300 or more persons to prepare or revise risk and resilience assessments (RRAs) and emergency response plans (ERPs) and to certify to EPA this work has been completed. (WaterISAC previously established a portal page dedicated to information and resources related to AWIA). Community water systems are required to review, revise where applicable, and recertify their RRA and ERP to EPA every five years from the original deadlines specified in the law.
Importantly, to complete these requirements, AWIA does not necessitate the use of any standards, methods, or tools for the RRA or ERP. A utility is responsible for ensuring the RRA and ERP address all the criteria in AWIA Section 2013(a) and (b), respectively. Accordingly, EPA recommends the use of EPA tools to facilitate sound RRAs and ERPs. For the RRA, EPA has created the Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool Web 3.0, the Baseline Information on Malevolent Acts for CWSs, and the AWIA Small System Risk and Resilience Assessment Checklist. EPA created the Emergency Response Plan Template and Guidance to support compliance with the ERP requirements.
For the full list of CWSs that must comply during the 2025-2026 cycle, see EPA’s AWIA Section 2013 Compliance Data website. For more information, contact Charlene Kormondy (kormondy.charlene@epa.gov).
For more information and resources related to AWIA Section 2013, RRAs, and ERPs, see EPA’s AWIA Section 2013 website.
