Hurricane Recovery EPA Water Program Overview

Briefing for ACWI

Briefing Overview

• EPA’s Role

• Assistance for Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

• Water Monitoring & Assessment Processes

• Ecosystem Restoration

• Closing

EPA’s Role

• Direct/coordinate and/or provide technical assistance for environmental response activities at the incident site

• USCG lead for coastal zone; EPA lead for inland zone

Typical response activities include:

• Incident Action Plan development• Site safety plan development (response

planning)• Sample collection & analysis (air/water

monitoring)• Alternative water supply provisions (potable

water)• Source control & stabilization (berms, booms,

dikes, plugging release points)• On-site treatment (neutralization, thermal

destruction, solidification, detonation)• Off-site disposal or treatment • Temporary relocation• Evidence collection and other law enforcement

efforts

Assistance for Drinking Water and

Wastewater Infrastructure

Short-term Activities • Tracking the operational status of systems

• Technical assistance for emergency repair

• Mobile labs

• Technical assistance and advice for FEMA Public Assistance

Long-term Activities• Improving future emergency response and recovery

- "Utilities helping Utilities" - Mutual Aid Agreements (Modeled after FlaWARN)

• Participating on ESF #14 Interagency Working GroupSupport states in providing technical assistance to utilities:

• Funding assistance and advice

Assistance for Drinking Water and

Wastewater Infrastructure

Water Monitoring & Assessment Processes

Short-term Activities• Floodwater Sampling with LA DEQ

• Mississippi Bays Study with State of Miss.

• BOLD surveys with other Federal/State Agencies

• Weekly monitoring calls with other federal agencies, states

• Data flow/approvals and web postings

Water Monitoring & Assessment Processes

Long-term Activities • Coordinated efforts on water monitoring with other federal and state agencies to analyze data and interpret, collectively, what it means

• Participation on State-Federal Taskforce on Sampling and Analysis of Fish and Shellfish from Katrina Affected Coastal Areas

• Participation on White House Task Force Working Group on Environmental Impacts and Cleanup Subcommittee on Bio-monitoring and Sampling

Ecosystems Restoration

Short-term Activities• Promote EPA’s restoration message: Reconstruction PLUS Restoration for True Protection

• Commit EPA staff now to emerging activities (LTCR plans)

• Build on existing EPA Region/State collaborations (CWPPRA Task Force)

Ecosystems Restoration

Long-term Activities

• Support three primary restoration themes: - River reintroductions

- Barrier island restoration- Pipeline sediment transfer for wetlands restoration

• Explore funding and collaboration alternatives (private/corporate as well as governmental) needed for full implementation

• Inform/adaptively manage restoration with assessment results

Closing Remarks

• Environmental Information Sharing across all levels of government was and remains critical

• Timeliness and Quality Assurance of Monitoring Results

• Data Standards are a good start but Agencies must adopt and implement them from Field – Lab – Analysis – Results!