Drinking Water Emergency Response and Security Checklist

Effective response to a drinking water emergency is supported equally by two categories of information, what you know and whom you know. It is critical to have an emergency response plan, communicate with local emergency responders, and practice the plan routinely with utility personnel.

Top 10 Water System Security Checklist

  1. Prepare (or update) an emergency response plan. Make sure all employees help to create it and receive training on the plan.
  2. Post updated emergency 24-hour numbers at your facilities in highly visible areas (pump house door, vehicles, office) and give them to key personnel and local response officials.
  3. Get to know your local police and ask them to add your facilities to their routine rounds. Practice emergency response procedures with local police, emergency response, and public health officials.
  4. Fence and lock your drinking water facilities and vulnerable areas (such as wellhead, hydrants, manholes, pump house, and storage tanks).
  5. Lock all entry gates and doors and set alarms to indicate illegal entry. Do not leave keys in equipment or vehicles at any time.
  6. Install good lighting around your pump house, treatment facility, and parking lot.
  7. Identify existing and alternate water supplies and maximize use of backflow prevention devices and interconnections.
  8. Use your Source Water Assessment information to work with any businesses and homeowners that are listed as potential sources of contamination and lessen their threat to your source.
  9. Lock monitoring wells to prevent vandals or terrorists from pouring contaminants directly into ground water near your source. Prevent pouring or siphoning contaminants through vent pipes by moving them inside the pump house or treatment plant. If that isn't possible, fence or screen them.
  10. First call 911 in case of an emergency, then follow your emergency response plan.

Related Information

For more information, email DWInfo@doh.wa.gov.