EPA Webinar – Water Quality Surveillance and Response Systems
Tuesday, February 12, 2019; 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET; webinar
Contamination
EPA Webinar – Preparing for Sampling and Analysis in Response to Distribution System Contamination Incidents
Tuesday, December 11, 2018; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET; webinar
EPA Webinar – Exercising Procedures for Responding to Contamination Incidents
Tuesday, January 8, 2019; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET; webinar
This webinar will focus on the development of training and exercises to plan and prepare for responding to a distribution system contamination incident. The webinar will include utility experiences in designing and conducting exercises. WaterISAC has posted a flyer below with additional information about this learning opportunity. Register at Eventbrite.
Alleged Islamic State Supporter Arrested on Charges of Attempting to Poison Italian Town’s Water Supply with Anthrax and Ricin
A Palestinian man with links to the Islamic State was arrested in Italy on November 28 on suspicion that he was planning to use anthrax and ricin to poison water supplies for the Sardinian town of Macomer and a nearby military base. According to an Italian state prosecuctor, the 38-year-old suspect planned the attack with his cousin, who resides in Lebanon. The state prosecutor added that Italian authorities were tipped off to the plot by Interpol, who learned of it from Lebanese authorities when they arrested the cousin in September.
Analytical Preparedness Full-Scale Exercise (AP-FSE) Toolkit (U.S. EPA)
The EPA’s Analytical Preparedness Full-Scale Exercise (AP-FSE) Toolkit provides water utilities, laboratories, and states the tools and training to conduct an exercise that involves coordinating laboratory support during a contamination incident.
EPA Webinar – Response Planning for Distribution System Contamination Incidents (Tuesday, November 6, 2018; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET)
This webinar will provide an overview of the response to a distribution system contamination incident and the steps utilities can take to prepare their own response procedure. It will cover roles and responsibilities when working with response partners. The webinar will also discuss possible response actions that can be implemented to minimize consequences, such as operational changes to reduce the spread of contaminated water and public notification to minimize customers’ exposure to contaminated water.
New National Biodefense Strategy Aims to Reduce Risks of Drinking Water Contamination
On Tuesday, the U.S. government unveiled the National Biodefense Strategy, which establishes priorities for federal biodefense activities and budgets. Among it goals for making the U.S.
EPA Webinar – Public Health Surveillance for Detecting Drinking Water Contamination (Tuesday, October 9, 2018, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET)
Tuesday, October 9, 2018, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
EPA Webinar – Customer Complaint Surveillance for Detecting Drinking Water Contamination (Tuesday, September 11, 2018, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET)
Tuesday, September 11, 2018, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
This webinar will describe how water quality complaints from customers can be analyzed in real time to detect emerging water quality problems. It will describe methods and tools that can be used to analyze historical data to set thresholds that minimize the frequency of invalid alerts without compromising detection capabilities. See the flyer attached below for more information. Register at GoToWebinar.
UK Poisoning Incident as a Turning Point, Inspiration for Terrorists
The use of the Russian nerve agent Novichok in the assassination attempt of double agent Sergei Skripal in the quiet city of Salisbury, England was a violation of international law banning the use of chemical weapons. Specialist Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, who works for a company that supplies gas masks to the U.S. military, calls it a turning point. "The hundred-year taboo on the use of chemical weapons has been completely broken," he said. Gordon said it only took a couple of drops of Novichok to shut down parts of Salisbury for months.
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