Approved by the Energy, Environment, and Water Policy Committee On November 20, 2023 
Approved by the Public Policy Committee on February 28, 2024Adopted by the Board of Direction on July 18, 2024

Policy

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) supports the development of emergency plans by both public (at all levels of government) and private water providers. These plans would prevent or minimize the disruption of water service to residences, businesses, and government and should:

  • Identify vulnerabilities in existing water systems.
  • Include emergency response and mitigation actions.
  • Be subject to periodic reviews and updates.
  • Identify the sources and availability of funding for implementing emergency plans.
  • Encourage resilience and sustainability in new, existing, modified, and replacement water systems.
  • Integrated the plans of neighboring water utilities to avoid competition for resources and to ensure mutual aid when needed. 

Issue

On October 23, 2018, the America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) was signed into law. AWIA Section 2013 requires community drinking water systems serving more than 3,300 people to develop or update risk management and emergency response plans (ERPs).

While water-providing organizations are fundamentally responsible for the development of such ERPs, stakeholders should also be involved. All levels of government should encourage and coordinate such planning and provide technical assistance to water providers in the development of emergency plans. Emergencies often impact other utility providers whose ability to operate during emergencies may be impaired, so coordinating mitigation measures and emergency responses with these providers as and with local emergency management planners is critical. Where possible, ERPs should assess and include water-sharing protocols among water providers, on a regional basis, to reduce an individual utility’s risk and improve resilience.

Specific vulnerabilities in maintaining services during emergencies need to be identified and incorporated into emergency plannings. Measures to prevent service disruption should be an essential component. ERPs should assess risks and prepare for emergencies in a way that provides equitable distribution of risk and resources throughout the service area. Response measures in the ERPs should be tested periodically to ensure that they are meeting current needs and that personnel are prepared to implement them. Potential problems should be identified and dealt with in advance to ensure resilience, equity, and continuation of service during an emergency. Such planning will require examination of long range solutions that involve capital investments; inter agency agreements; short-term response actions; and the vulnerability of water supply sources, treatment plants and transmission systems.

Design of new, modified and replacement water systems should incorporate resilience for disaster events. Planning for building supplementary sources of supply, redundant transmission mechanisms, emergency water distribution, or arranging for resource sharing can involve significant investments and long lead times. Advanced planning by water providers will help to mitigate impacts to their systems and disruptions to service in the event of such situations.

Rationale

The possibilities of service interruptions through loss of the integrity of water systems become more significant as systems age or are exposed to natural hazards and malevolent acts. Since some emergencies are likely to require a need to coordinate with other services and utilities, the plans should be developed jointly with other public and quasi-public organizations that are likely to be impacted by an emergency.

This policy has worldwide application
ASCE Policy Statement 348
First Approved in 1989