Review of Response to Exceptional
Severe Weather Events of 2010/11
– Drinking Water Aspects – Lessons
learned
Peter O’Reilly,
Senior Engineer
Fingal Co Co & WSTG
Annual Conference October 2011
Weather Summary Dec 2010
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Lowest day & night time temperatures
ever recorded in Ireland
Fast thaw over 36 hours, typically:
from -15o C or lower on night of 24th Dec.
to +10o C or higher at midday on 26th
Dec.
Thaw well established across the country
by 28th Dec.
Westmeath Climate Conditions
Initial period of low temperatures:
– 22nd Nov. 2010, for 33 consecutive days, ending 25th Dec. 2010
Temperature ranged from 0 ºC to –15 ºC
50mm to 100mm snow fell on morning of 30th Nov. 2010
Rainfall (mm)
Max Temp
Min Temp
ground min Temp
Weather Event
20
10
5
0
11/01/11
Summary of Westmeath Climate Conditions
08/01/11
Date (22nd Nov. 2010 – 9th Jan. 2011)
05/01/11
-20
02/01/11
-15
30/12/10
27/12/10
24/12/10
21/12/10
18/12/10
15/12/10
12/12/10
09/12/10
06/12/10
03/12/10
30/11/10
27/11/10
24/11/10
-10
21/11/10
-5
18/11/10
Temperature 0C
15
Raw Water Temperatures
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Raw water temperatures fell from 6.3 ºC to 0.7 ºC over the period
Period of Freezing
Period of Thaw
580.0
570.0
560.0
550.0
540.0
530.0
520.0
510.0
Sun 28 Nov
Mon 29 Nov
Tue 30 Nov
Wed 01 Dec
Demand
Thu 02 Dec
Fri 03 Dec
Sat 04 Dec
Supply
Sun 05 Dec
Mon 06 Dec
Effects of temperature rise
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Service Pipe Bursts
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Control Unit Bursts
Elements of Response
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Call centres
Communications - local radio stations
/newspapers/websites
Alternative supplies – tankers/standpipes
Leak detection & repair
Increased drinking water production
Pressure reductions/shut-offs
Resources (DCC)
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Staff redeployed
Fire Service
Civil Defence – vulnerable, elderly, disabled
Hiring tankers and equipment
Used info in DWIRP
• Lists of equipment, service providers
• List of suitable staff for specific roles
• Contacts for special customers
Examples
Effect of Temperature rise on supply
systems
Welfare Facilities
Stock of stand pipes
deployed in Areas
Athlone:
Coole:
14
6
Kilbeggan: 17
Mullingar:
20
Standpipes were given to
local Residents Associations
to operate at agreed times –
this arrangement worked
well
Communications
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Updates
• Website & Aertel, daily/hourly
• e-mails to Councillors & area offices &
other LA’s
• improvement: update as early as
possible
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Informed customer services
DWIRP Map – Mullingar Town Independent Valve Closures to Extend Storage
Communications
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Website and Twitter updated on an hourly basis
during the day with time of update
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Website and Twitter updated after hours
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Aertel updated on same basis
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Updates to all media outlets
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Senior personnel available for radio and TV
updates each day
Communications 2
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Map of water supply zones & table of shutoffs
Problem areas, tanker locations, special water
deliveries
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List of questions for customer services
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List of special/vulnerable customers
REPORT ON THE REVIEW OF THE RESPONSE
TO EXCEPTIONAL SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS
OF 2009 – 2010
by National Directorate for Fire and Emergency
Management
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There should be a review of Critical Infrastructure
Protection in the energy and communications
sectors to ensure appropriate resilience in these
services;
Lessons learned from Jan. 2010
Preparations for thaw
• 505 person days training on leak detection in
2010
• Night-time restrictions from early Dec. to ensure
reservoirs were full
• Early warnings to consumers from 20th Dec.
• Staff on call over holiday period
• Communications with emergency management
e-mail address
Athlone Seminar 1
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Staff welfare
• rostering, too many overtired
• drafting in staff from other areas,
• contracting plumbers (on Call)
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Call centres
• many crashed, possibility of regional call centres
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Met Eireann
• get onto alert list
water treatment
• Adequate stock of chemicals
• Maintaining access, salt/grit stock, 4 wheel drives
Athlone 2
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Communication
• use web based mapping for informing public
Leaflets and information
• should be standardised and agreed with HSE
(there are templates in DWIRP)
Ghost/unfinished estates, estates not in charge
Shared services, need protocol with
neighbouring WSAs
Athlone 3
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DWIRPs
• complete where unfinished
• cover other emergencies viz. flooding,
contamination, drought
DWIRP regional focus
• use Regional Training Centres & Technical
Committees
• workshops
Relevant workshops
• e.g. use of Social Media for emergency
communication
Have you a DWIRP ?
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DWIRP manager and deputy
Training - WSTG, in-house
DWIRP prepared, notify EPA
Protocols with HSE
Liaison with Group Schemes & DBO contractors
Resources and Equipment
Liaison with neighbouring WSAs
In-house training, exercises, reviews
Scope of DWIRP
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All Incidents:
• Contamination
• Interruption
• Severe weather
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All aspects of the drinking water system:
• Sources
• Treatment
• Distribution System to the consumer's draw off point.
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“Water Suppliers"
• Water Services Authorities
• Group Water Scheme sector.
DEHLG
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L4/2009
DWIRP Manager
Implement asap
Co-ordinate with neighbouring WSAs
Protocols established with HSE
Sharing resources with other WSAs
In-house training
Situation exercises
EPA
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WSAs must prepare a written DWIRP
Appoint senior persons as manager/ deputy
manager of DWIRP who should:
 be fully familiar with WSA and operations
 prepare and maintain DWIRP in consultation with other
staff
 circulate as controlled document
 co-ordinate the resources needed
 organise training staff of WSA on the DWIRP
 rehearsing and testing the DWIRP
 reviewing and modifying the DWIRP following incidents
May need additional Subsidiary
Plans
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Site specific plans
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Severe Weather
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Chemical release
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Industrial action
DWIRP – have you reviewed & updated?
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All incidents not just severe weather
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Appendices – continuous process
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Plan
 Post-exercise
 Post-incident
 Annual Review
 Full review as appropriate
DWIRP review
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Team structure - roles & responsibilities
Procedures & forms for communications
Lists of equipment suppliers
Contact details for suppliers, other Local
Authorities
Support - staff redeployment, Civil
Defence
Lists of special customers
• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Schools
DWIRP Risk Assessment - example
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V(very high);
• Reduction of source due to drought
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H
(high);
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chemical pollution of source
Waterworks breakdown for more than 5 hours
Total pump failure for more than 5 hours
Loss of electricity for more than 5 hours
Microbial exceedance in supply
Cryptosporidium in supply
Major bursts on trunk mains
Flooding of properties/ roads due to burst main
Draft DWIRP Incident Log
Date incident declared;
Brief summary of incident;
Date
Detailed History of Events
Summary if incident (scale, severity etc);
Liaison with External Agencies:
Communications Used;
Lessons learned:
Closeout date:
DWIRP Number (e.g. GCC-DWIRP-2010-Amb01);
Signed: _____________
Frank Clancy, A/SEE, Water Services
Outcome/
Decision
Draft DWIRP Incident Log
Date incident declared;
not declared yet – still able to deal with using routines
Brief summary of incident; Low River levels following dry spell and weir gates
being open during part of this period.
Date
Events report
Outcome/
Decision
2/9/2010
Problems caused by low river levels, we could not treat
more than 1,200 m^3/ hour approx. Tonabrocky and
Clifton Hill very low. Outages in Barna, Moycullen
3/9/2010
Meeting with Co. Co in morning to discuss. GCC agreed
to throttle back City flow later in evening. Co. Co
providing as much as possible to Coolagh
Kept pumping as much as possible. Co. Co. had a
problem on 5th and reduced our supply. This caused us
problems overnight and we lost all the gains.
Low reservoir levels in Clifton Hill and Coolagh so
pumping to both sides. River level improved so increased
plant throughput.
Increase from 150m^3/h to 300m^3/h from Luimneagh
allowed us pump more to West. Comms down all day
due to Eircom problem
Meeting with Co. Co. in afternoon and agreed joint
statement for the websites
Restored comms to Clifton Hill and Tonabrocky in the
evening
Reservoir levels all low but production up to 1,900 and
import from Luimneagh back uo to circa 500m^3/h.
River level improving
Reservoirs steadied overnight and river level up above
0.8 for first time in c 2 weeks. OPW opened gates in
morning. Phone and email to OPW asking them to
maintain river level, gates closed and level returned after
dinner
Contact Coco. for
more water,
Contact OPW re
closing gates
Notice to local radio
Throttle back City
flow late evening
Notice to local radio
for weekend
4,
5/9/2010
6/9/2010
7/9/2010
8/9/2010
9/9/2010
Clifton Hill and Tonabrocky up to circa 2.3m in morning
10/9/2010 Clifton Hill and Tonabrocky up to nearly 3m in morning
Contact with Co. Co.
(cannot give us more
until couple of days)
Joint statement on
County and City
websites
Joint statement on
County and City
websites
Email to OPW
Throttle
Tonabrocky in
evening to help
bring up level
overnight
Have you a DWIRP Quick Guide ?
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“DWIRP light”
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Bullet points
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One page “quick guide” for staff – relevant info
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Telephone list
• Critical staff
• Suppliers
• Equipment
• HSE, EPA (if nec), etc
DWIRP Quick Guide
Quick Guide for DWIRP – Galway City Council (Rev 1 May 2011)
Major Burst, large water outage etc.
1. Phone calls between COW, EE, SEE with initial information.
2. Email to customer services, press officer, DOS, website, Fire Station, admin staff answering
phones at waterworks etc.[Distribution List]. Include brief notice that there is a problem, it
is being investigated by water staff and overview of area affected.
3. Above information to website person and local press.
4. Start DWIRP log with initial events.
5. Follow up email later when more information is known on extent of problem, likely
duration, works being done etc. Do this even if it is very similar information to previous.
Relevant section of DWIRP;
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Appendix A.7, B1; Protocols for outages (planned and emergency) including FAX template for local radio.
Appendix A.9; Incident Log Sheet
Appendix B.2; List of sensitive customers
Appendix C.2; Group Water Scheme details
Appendix D.1; Guidance on deployment of water tankers
DWIRP – Have you reviewed your
communications plan?
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What do people want?
• Clear information – No jargon
• Whats happened
• Why it has happened
• When will it be sorted
• That someone is in charge
Advance circulation of Information Leaflet on
necessary steps for protection of their water
supply
Emergencies
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Are sudden
Stretch resources
Break continuity/confidence in service
Need different levels of response as
they vary in size and complexity
Can involve a large number of
stakeholders
Staff requirements
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Experienced
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Competent
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Well trained
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Ready and available to respond
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Resources
Next (WSTG)
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Raise issues with CCMA
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Workshops
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•
•
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Completion of DWIRPs
Review preparedness
Create networks & exchange experience
Protocols for sharing resources
DWIRP review
• Apply experience learned to date
Conclusions
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Emergencies happen
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Be prepared
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Have a plan - DWIRP
Acknowledgements
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Gerry Galvin, Principal Advisor, DECLG
Laura Walsh, Dublin City Co
Morgan Cox & Greg Duggan,
Westmeath Co Co
Frank Clancy, Galway City Co
Helen McDonnell, Meath Co Co
Corporate Community