AWWA and FEMA release new Water Sector Resource Typing Guidance

In recognition of November being Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have collaborated to develop new Water Sector Resource Typing Guidance. 

The new guidance replaces the 2008 AWWA Water/Wastewater Mutual Aid and Resource Typing Manual and is the result of a Memorandum of Agreement between AWWA and FEMA. The new guidance has been developed and prepared for integration into FEMA’s Resource Typing Library Tool (RTLT).

“Resource management and mutual aid is an essential component of NIMS, as it provides federal, state, and local jurisdictions a standardized means to provide, coordinate, and manage resources in incident response operations. It helps a utility determine what they could potentially provide to others through mutual aid; equally as important, it allows a utility to assess internal limitations and therefore understand what they may need to request from others,” said Kevin Morley, AWWA’s federal relations manager. “In addition, over the next year community water systems will be conducting risk and resilience assessments and updating emergency response plans in compliance with section 2013 of America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018. The emergency response plan requirements call on utilities to include the identification of actions, procedures and equipment that can be used in response to an incident. Integrating this new resource typing guidance into a utility’s emergency response plan supports the objectives in AWIA and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).”

Resource typing is also a recommended best practice in ANSI/AWWA G440: Emergency Preparedness Practices and AWWA’s M19: Emergency Planning for Water Utilities. The new guidance and associated standards provide the foundation for water utilities’ risk and resilience programs that support compliance with AWIA. Additional training is available through AWWA’s Utility Risk & Resilience Certificate Program.

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Established in 1881, the American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the world’s most important resource. With approximately 51,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life.