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The following article was submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, Water Security Division.

Community-Based Water Resiliency: A community-wide approach to water preparedness

       Is your community ready in the event of an emergency water service interruption?  Where would local hospitals, dialysis centers, schools and other critical services obtain their drinking water? Loss of water services would have a direct impact on the quality of life for individuals, businesses and communities. EPA encourages rural communities to proactively address dependencies and interdependencies with water services.

       It is important to understand that although many of the nations’ water systems are located in rural areas, access to safe and affordable drinking water and wastewater services is likely to be inadequate in rural areas due to lack of financial resources and technical expertise to maintain these critical infrastructure systems.  This means that large numbers of households in poverty-stricken rural communities are particularly vulnerable in the event of a water service interruption.

       The consequences of a water service interruption could include health impacts from loss of drinking water and/or wastewater services, economic impacts on local and state businesses, psychological impacts with effects on public morale and confidence, and governance impacts with an effect on the government’s ability to maintain order, deliver essential public services and ensure public health and safety.

       Many critical services and key community resources in rural areas share dependencies and interdependencies with the Water Sector and may be negatively affected by a water service interruption as well. These include: 

• Schools
• Emergency Services
• Transportation
• Energy Production
• Postal and Shipping services
• Telecommunication
• Food and Beverage production and preparation
• Healthcare facilities 

 In order to address these vulnerabilities, US EPA developed the Community-Based Water Resiliency (CBWR) Initiative. CBWR addresses water sector dependencies and interdependencies and seeks to improve community resiliency in the event of a water service interruption caused by a catastrophic event or natural disaster.

       EPA is developing a CBWR electronic tool with a suite of user friendly, no-to-low cost resources that RCAP partners may use to help rural communities: increase awareness of their unique vulnerabilities, prepare for a water service interruption, increase collaboration amongst community partners, and understand their community’s critical water interdependencies.  This is not a one-size-fits-all tool; however it is tailored to multiple users with differing needs, including those of smaller communities. 

       To receive a beta-test version of the CBWR electronic tool, please email WSD-Outreach@epa.gov. We are seeking comments on the current version of the tool and will be finalizing the tool for distribution in the spring of 2011.

       For additional information on the Community-Based Water Resiliency effort, please visit the website at http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/communities/index.cfm.