Contact: Sandra Fallon, National Environmental Services Center
Phone: 800-624-8301 x5582; Email: sfallon@mail.wvu.edu
Article/References Word Count 1,254
Article Release Date: August 2010
Utilities Help Each Other During Emergencies
Have your water and wastewater systems signed up?
by Sandra Fallon, Training Specialist, National Environmental Services Center
If a natural disaster or other incident strikes your town, local water and wastewater utilities must
rely on their own resources immediately following the crisis. It can take 72 hours or longer for
assistance to arrive from the state or federal government after a state of emergency is declared.
Because first responders, local businesses, community and health services, and the public
continue to rely on water services during and after an emergency, and because water service
disruptions can make recovery efforts even more difficult, it’s prudent to plan ahead so that
assistance is in place for rapid, effective response and recovery.
Public and private water and wastewater utilities, both large and small, can now participate in the
Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN), a utilities-helping-utilities program that
uses mutual aid and assistance agreements, which are established and signed prior to an
emergency, to help affected utilities quickly obtain resources such as personnel, equipment,
materials, and related services from utility signatories to the WARN agreement. In an
emergency, WARN support kicks in when local resources are overwhelmed or unable to provide
what’s needed. WARN can be activated by any impacted signatory utility in response to an
emergency, and aid can arrive quickly, saving critical response time. “Simply put, WARN helps
ensure continuity of operations” says Kevin Morley, manager of the Security and Preparedness
Program with the American Water Works Association (AWWA). “If a system is impaired or
impacted, WARN provides an option to recover as fast as possible.”
Now is the time to encourage your local water and wastewater systems to join WARN, before
disaster strikes. WARN programs are underway in almost all 50 states, and those without a
WARN are working on it. You can find your state WARN contact information on the National
Warn Web site at www.NationalWARN.org.
Partnerships, Planning, and Mutual Aid
The network is formed through partnerships among public and private water and wastewater
utilities and key representatives from professional associations, state water and wastewater
regulatory and emergency management agencies, and the regional Environmental Protection
Agency. This collaboration helps facilitate pre-disaster planning and training, and encourages
sharing information and lessons learned from other disasters. Ongoing communication among
WARN leaders and members is essential to keep the network up-to-date and ready to handle an
emergency.
The heart of WARN is the mutual aid and assistance agreement, which addresses members’
responsibilities, procedures and protocols for providing aid, legal and liability concerns, and
issues related to crossing jurisdictional boundaries to provide emergency aid. These agreements
are designed to meet National Incident Management System (NIMS) and federal requirements
for homeland security grants, and such agreements must be in place prior to an incident for
federal disaster assistance reimbursement. According to Morley, all communities are required to
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become NIMS compliant (http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/), and becoming a WARN
signatory helps a community achieve this goal.
WARN members in each state use the same pre-established mutual aid and assistance agreement
developed by that state’s initial WARN leadership team. This agreement takes into account state
laws and regulations, establishes a cost recovery process for utilities, and addresses expectations
for reimbursement. The agreement also addresses how workers’ compensation, insurance, or
damaged equipment on loan will be handled. The WARN agreements address hazards ranging
from small incidents like power outages and major line breaks to large, catastrophic disasters,
and facilitate assistance from across state lines if necessary.
Benefits of Joining WARN
WARN offers a practical and affordable approach with multiple benefits for the utility and
community. “WARN functions like a no-cost insurance policy,” says Morley. There is no cost to
join the network, and in an emergency each utility decides whether it can respond on a case-bycase basis; there is no obligation. The utility may incur some planning and coordination costs
such as staff time to attend meetings, conducting legal reviews, or communication efforts.
Overall, the costs are small and well worth the benefits.
AWWA conducted a survey to determine the economic benefits of WARN and found that
WARN participation improves a utility’s ability to respond to emergencies and reduces their
costs to respond. Cost savings include reduced costs to purchase and maintain back-up power
capabilities, such as portable generators, and to borrow rather than purchase and store other
emergency supplies and equipment. Utilities also indicate reduced loss of water and wastewater
revenues due to expedited recovery of services. WARN membership can be a positive factor in
risk assessments for insurance purposes, resulting in reduced insurance costs.
Encourage Local Utilities to Join WARN
No community or utility is immune to disaster, and past experience suggests that outside help
can be a long time coming. WARN helps the water and wastewater sector become more selfreliant and offers rapid, specialized assistance for emergency response and recovery. Securing
this help requires a utility to join its WARN program before disaster occurs. Trying to figure out
who can help when your treatment plant is flooded is not good business. According to AWWA’s
Morley, “WARN participation should be a key part of every utility’s business continuity and risk
management plans. The costs are small and the benefits to the utility and the community it serves
are large.” By making sure that your local utilities join your state WARN, you’ll be taking a
positive step to protect your community, its water services, and the water utility’s ability to
return to normal operations as soon as possible.
Resources and References
“Being Prepared Before the Next Disaster Strikes: Water and Wastewater Agency Response
Networks Provide a Good Foundation.” 2009. Natalie Eddy, National Environmental Services
Center. In Small Flows, v. 9, No. 3. Provides brief history, overview, and benefits of WARN.
http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/pdf/ww/smallflows/FAWI09/being_prepared.pdf
Economic Benefits of Forming and Participating in a Water/Wastewater Agency
Response Network (WARN). September 2008. American Water Works Association.
Discusses economic benefits of WARN participation, provides case studies, and identifies
resources for developing a business case for WARN participation.
http://www.awwa.org/files/WARN/Economic_Benefits_of_WARN_09192008.pdf
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National WARN Web site. Web site operated by the American Water Works Association offering
WARN resources and contact information for state WARN representatives. The site provides
information only, it is not designed to respond or assist with emergencies.
www.NationalWARN.org.
Small Water Systems: A Vital Component of WARN. November 2009. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Office of Water. EPA 817-F-09-009. Factsheet highlighting the importance
and relevance of small water and wastewater systems’ participation in WARN.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/pubs/fs_watersecurity_warn_small_systems.pdf
Tribal Water Systems: A Vital Component of WARN. November 2009. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Office of Water. EPA 817-F-09-010. Factsheet highlighting the importance
and relevance of tribal water and wastewater systems’ participation in WARN.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/pubs/fs_watersecurity_warn_tribal_systems.pdf
Utilities Helping Utilities: An Action Plan for Mutual Aid and Assistance Networks for Water
and Wastewater Utilities. March 2006. Kevin Morley, American Water Works Association and
Ray Riordan, California Utilities Emergency Association. Provides guidance for creating and
implementing a mutual aid and assistance program for water and wastewater utilities, and
includes a sample mutual aid and assistance agreement.
http://www.awwa.org/files/Utilities_Helping_Utilities.pdf.
A Spanish version of this plan is available at
http://www.awwa.org/files/WARN/9131%20WARN%20Spanish.pdf
Utilities Helping Utilities: Joint Policy Statement on Mutual Aid & Assistance Networks.
February 15, 2006. Joint statement signed by key water sector agencies supporting WARN.
http://www.awwa.org/files/Advocacy/Govtaff/Documents/Mutual_Aid_Statement.pdf#Policy
Utilities Helping Utilities Workshop Fact Sheet. April 2007. American Water Works
Association. Answers frequently asked questions about Water/Wastewater Agency Response
Networks (WARN). http://www.awwa.org/files/Utilities_Helping_Utilities.pdf
Wastewater Systems: A Vital Component of WARN. February 2010. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Office of Water. EPA 817-F-10-003. Factsheet highlighting the importance
and relevance of wastewater systems’ participation in WARN.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/pubs/WARN_wastewatersystems_fs.pdf
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About the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) and the National
Environmental Services Center (NESC). RCAP (www.rcap.org) and its programs across the
country offer water and wastewater training and assistance to small and rural communities,
tribes, and water utilities. NESC (www.nesc.wvu.edu; 800-624-8301) offers information,
technical assistance via telephone, educational resources, and magazines and newsletters
addressing water and wastewater issues for these same audiences.
Author Bio: Sandra Fallon is a training specialist with the National Environmental Services
Center and has developed many educational resources addressing water issues for small
community officials.
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