A Practical Framework for Infrastructure Resilience in the Context of Increasing Impacts of Disruptive Events

Secure and resilient water and wastewater infrastructure is critical for citizens and the security of the nation. In the context of the increasing impacts of disruptive events, the case for infrastructure resilience is clear. However, the best path to ensuring resilience of water and wastewater infrastructure is the subject of significant discussion and debate. The range of requirements and available resources makes it daunting for utility management teams to understand and choose which are most appropriate given their circumstances. To address this, as part of the WRF project, WRF 5014, Black & Veatch developed a Resilience Practical Framework (RPF) to help water utilities readily find practical tools and information applicable to their respective situations. This paper provides a summary of the RPF approach, including a descriptive journey through the various steps of the framework and associated tool, to enable participants to consider how this framework could be used to improve their utility’s overall resilience posture.