MANAGING DECONTAMINATION WATER: A UTILITY PLANNING TOOL

The primary purpose of this guide is to ensure managers of wastewater utilities are cognizant of the pre-planning necessary to prevent, detect, respond to and/or recover from the impacts of decontamination wastewater containing CBR substances. For the purposes of this guide, decontamination wastewater is defined as wastewater generated as a result of decontamination activities performed after a terrorist attack with CBR substances. While decontamination activities associated with an accidental release of a CBR substance may also generate wastewaters that could be managed consistent with this guide, such cleanup activities are not the focus of this guide.Utility managers may find that the information presented can benefit their organizations through:Incorporation into the utility's emergency response plan (ERP);Use in a curriculum for employee emergency preparedness and response training;Use in development of a scenario for a tabletop exercise;Initiation of dialogue with governing bodies regarding vulnerabilities and available funding for remediation;Initiation of dialogue between the utility and first responders;Incorporation of issues when negotiating wholesale agreements for satellite systems;Use as a guidance for assessing risk associated with decontamination wastewater; andUse as information for enhancing sewer use ordinances and pretreatment programs.