Water Security Initiative
Building Laboratory Capabilities for
Responding to Possible Water
Contamination
Elizabeth Hedrick
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Water Security Division
Water Laboratory Alliance Security Summit
Nashville, Tennessee
March 22-23, 2012
1
Presentation Overview
• Background on EPA’s Water
Security Initiative
• Sampling and Analysis for
Water Security
– Responding to Possible Water
Contamination
– Process for Building Laboratory
Response Capabilities
– Example Utility Capabilities for
Water Security
• Upcoming WSi-CWS S&A
Products for Water Utilities
2
WSi-CWS System Architecture
WSi-CWS Demonstration Pilots
• Greater Cincinnati Water Works
(June 2006-June 2009)
• San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission (July 2008 –
September 2012)
• New York City Department of
Environmental Protection (July
2008 – September 2012)
• Philadelphia Water Department
(Dec 2008 – Dec 2012)
• Dallas Water Utilities (Dec 2008 –
Dec 2012)
Responding to Possible Contamination
• In the absence of
information to guide the
analytical investigation,
laboratory analyses are
performed for a wide range
of contaminants of concern
to water security.
• Through advance planning,
water utilities can identify
contaminants of concern to
water security, methods for
analyses, and laboratory
response partners.
5
Challenges Facing Utilities
•
What are contaminants of concern to water
security?
•
How do I find appropriate methods?
•
How do I determine if acquiring a new in-house
method capability for water security is sustainable
in the long run?
•
Are there special considerations I should be aware
of if I want to use my regulatory compliance lab
partners?
•
Who are possible lab partners for contaminants
such as chemical warfare agents, radionuclides,
and select pathogens, and how do I engage them
during planning?
•
When is Federal assistance available to my utility
for laboratory analyses?
6
New WSi-CWS Guidance for
Water Utilities
Water Security Initiative: Guidance for
Building Laboratory Capabilities to
Respond to Drinking Water
Contamination
• Answers common questions utilities have regarding building
laboratory capabilities for responding to a wide range of
contaminants of concern to water security.
• Is the first of a series of guidance documents for water utilities
desiring to build field and laboratory capabilities for
Contamination Warning Systems, or desiring to enhance water
security practices for sampling and analysis.
7
Process for Building Laboratory
Response Capabilities
8
Example Utility Response Capabilities
Contaminant Class
Contaminants
Method
Laboratory
Bacillus anthracis
Burkholderia spp.
Francisella tularensis
Yersinia pestis
Variola (orthopoxvirus)
LRN BT Agent Screening
Protocol
State LRN Lab
Cryptosporidium parvum
EPA 1622
Utility
Biotoxins
Brevitoxin
a- Conotoxin
Microcystin LR
Tetrodotoxin
SOP#53 Biotoxins and
Pharma by LC-MS/MS
Utility
Carbamate Pesticides
Aldicarb, Carbofuran, Oxamyl
EPA 531.1
Commercial lab.
Rodenticides
Crimidine
Strychnine
SOP#53 Biotoxins and
Pharma by LC-MS/MS
Utility
Heavy Metals,
Mercury, Arsenic
Pb, Cd, Hg, As, plus metals screen
EPA 200.8
Utility
Organophosphate
Pesticides, PCBs
Dichlorvos, Mevinphos, fenamiphos
screen, PCBs (as Aroclors)
EPA 525.2
Utility
CWA Degradates
Screen: Ethyl methylphosphonic acid ,
Ethyl hydrogen dimethyl-amidophosphate
ASTM D7597-09
Commercial lab.
Pathogens
Notes
Collect 100 L . Notify local
health department to
activate LRN lab if needed.
In-house developed and
validated method.
In-house developed and
validated method.
ERLN lab for confirmation
of parent CWA if positive
on screen.
Example Utility Response Capabilities,
cont’d
Contaminant Class
Contaminants
Method
Laboratory
Herbicides
Paraquat
EPA 549.2
Commercial lab.
Cyanide
Total cyanide
EPA 335.4
Commercial lab
Gasoline and
Petroleum Products
BTEX/volatiles indicative
of gasoline
EPA 524.2
Utility
Pharmaceuticals
Colchicine
Digoxin
Plus illicit drug screen
SOP#53 Biotoxins
and Pharma by LCMS/MS
Utility
Radionuclides
Gross Alpha/Beta
Screen: Uranium -238
Strontium -90
EPA OO-02/900.0
State Health Lab
Radionuclides
Gamma Emitters
Cesium-137
EPA 901.1
State Health Lab
Notes
Utility performs free CN
analysis in field.
In-house developed
and validated method.
Utility performs
beta/gamma screen in
the field.
• In response to possible contamination, all labs are notified and readied.
• Samples are collected for all methods outlined above.
• If the investigation can not be closed, all samples are analyzed.
10
Upcoming WSi-CWS S&A Products
for Water Utilities
Guidance
• Building Laboratory Capabilities to Respond to Water Contamination
• Baseline Monitoring of Field and Laboratory Methods
• Development of Effective Procedures for Incident Response Sampling
and Analysis
Training
• Hazard Awareness and Safe Work Practices for Responding to
Possible Water Contamination
• Hazard Assessment Tools for Water Utilities
Journal Articles
• S&A for Select Pathogen Analysis – A Water Utility Case Study
• Partnering With HazMat – WSi Pilot Utility Perspectives and Lessons
Learned
11
Contact Information
Elizabeth Hedrick
U.S. EPA
513-569-7296
Hedrick.elizabeth@epa.gov
12
Questions
13