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  2. Emergency Response for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities

Build Pandemic Resilience at Your Water or Wastewater Utility

This interactive, user-friendly guide provides good practices, real-world examples, and key resources for responding to pandemic emergencies and building long-term resilience. The guide contains four main sections:  

Related Resource

  • Pandemic Incident Action Checklist
  • Supply Chain Issues for Cleaning Products and Personal Protective Equipment 
  • Staffing Key Positions 
  • Return to Work 
  • Communications/Information Sharing 

EPA held state-level virtual workshops in California, Indiana, and New York in late 2020 and early 2021 to facilitate the sharing of initial response actions and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guide relays good practices from small- to large-sized utilities and their emergency response partners that participated in these workshops. 

  • Pandemic Resilience Good Practices for Water & Wastewater Utilities (pdf) (3.35 MB, 7/19/22, 817B22003)

Emergency Response for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities

  • Plan For Emergencies
    • Develop or Update an Emergency Response Plan
    • Emergency Drinking Water Supply Guidance
    • Incident Action Checklists
    • Water and Wastewater Supply Chain Resilience
    • Water Sector Guide to Telecommunications During Power Outages
    • Prepare for Position Navigation and Timing Risks
  • Hazard Resilience
    • Build Earthquake Resilience
    • Build Flood Resilience
    • Build Pandemic Resilience
    • Build Power Resilience
    • Build Wildfire Resilience
    • Respond to Drought
  • Mutual Aid and Assistance for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities
    • Learn About Water/Wastewater Agency Response Networks (WARNs)
    • Join a WARN
    • Access WARN Training Tools
  • Decontamination
    • Documents to Guide Remediation
    • Sampling Methods and Decontamination Technologies
    • Response Protocol Toolbox
  • Water Utility Communication During Emergency Response
Contact Us About Emergency Response for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on April 15, 2025
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