Emergency Plan - Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority

Water System Contamination
3.2.46. SITUATION
EVENT SPECIFIC GUIDELINES 13(ESG-13)
WATER SYSTEM CONTAMINATION
GSWSA operates and maintains a number of water treatment and storage facilities, as well
as a water distribution system consisting of several hundred miles of water mains.
GSWSA relies on these facilities and systems to collect, treat, and transport safe drinking
water to each and every customer.
GSWSA’s water treatment, storage Consider and initial distribution operational systems are susceptible to
Response actions (as appropriate)
contamination in a number of different ways, ranging from accidental and minor to
intentional and catastrophic.
3.2.47. THREAT or HAZARD INFORMATION
For the purpose of this procedure, anything other than potable water (completely safe for
drinking, and meeting or exceeding all drinking water standards and regulations) entering
GSWSA’s water system may be considered “contamination.” Some contaminants may
present little or no potential consequences, while others may present extremely high
potential consequences.
Some of the possible ways that contaminants could be introduced into the water system
include, but are not limited to:
• draining in while the integrity of the system is compromised due to a leak or break
and the subsequent repair operations.
• being pulled in from back-siphonage during periods of low pressure, such as during
major leaks / breaks, system flushing operations, or fire fighting activities.
• being pushed in from pressurized systems that exceed and overcome our water system
pressure.
• failure or malfunction at a treatment facility resulting in inadequately treated water
being distributed to the system.
• intentional introduction of contaminant in an attempt to cause harm to GSWSA
and/or its customers.
3.2.48. CONCEPT of OPERATIONS
Threat Warning: Potential water system contamination events begin with a Threat
Warning. Threat Warnings are unusual events, observations, or discoveries that indicate
there is a potential contamination incident.
Threat Evaluation: A Threat Warning will typically result in a Threat Evaluation, which is
an assessment to determine the credibility of the contamination threat.
Threat Warnings can come from many different sources. The most common forms of
Threat Warnings include:
Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority 123 CONFIDENTIAL MATERIALS
Emergency Management Plan
SECURITY SENSITIVE
June 7, 2013
NOT FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE