EPA’s Water Security Division (WSD) is seeking input and assistance from its partners on two specific activities in 2018 to prepare water and wastewater utilities for power outages. For the first project, the WSD requests input from drinking water and wastewater utilities, water associations, state primacy agencies, and federal partners on existing content and potential updates to the Power Resilience Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities. This document is being updated to include information, worksheets, and case studies on air quality regulations, power vulnerability assessments, fuel supply planning, on-site power generation, and Black Sky planning, among other topics. The WSD anticipates volunteers spending several hours reviewing information between January and March 2018.

For the second project, the WSD plans to partner with water associations, state agencies, water and wastewater utilities, energy providers, energy associations and other key partners to host a two-day Water Sector Power Resilience Summit, which will prospectively be held in the Washington, DC area in September 2018  The objective of the summit is to discuss and advance the water sector’s preparedness for a long-duration, widespread power outage. The WSD is looking for volunteers to participate in a summit planning team that will help to develop the summit agenda, identify potential speakers, and share information about the summit to sector stakeholders. The WSD anticipates volunteers would participate in approximately six one-hour teleconferences between January and September 2018 and spend several hours reviewing documents or completing action items from the teleconferences during that eight month time period.

If you are interested in participating and/or can recommend specific utilities, states or other federal partners with expertise and availability to assist in one or all of these efforts, please contact Lauren Wisniewski (Wisniewski.lauren@epa.gov, 202-564-2918) by December 29, 2017.