Improving the Nation's Water Security Opportunities for Research (2007) / Chapter Skim
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6 Recommendations for Future Research Directions
6 Recommendations for Future Research Directions
Pages 91-128
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From page 91... ...
KEY RESEARCH GAPS The Water Security Research and Technical Support Action Plan (EPA, 2004a) set out a comprehensive guide for the EPA's near-term research initiatives.
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From page 92... ...
Nevertheless, the short-term planning horizon of the Action Plan prevented consideration of two key subjects that are critical to a long-term water security research program: behavioral science and innovative system design. The committee recommends the EPA work in collaboration with other organizations to build research initiatives in these two areas.
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From page 93... ...
Innovative Designs for Secure and Resilient Water and Wastewater Systems Innovative designs for water and wastewater infrastructure were not addressed in the EPA Action Plan, but the topic deserves a place in a long-term water security research program. The EPA's research mission has traditionally included the development and testing of new concepts, technologies, and management structures for water and wastewater utilities to achieve practical objectives in public health, sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
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From page 94... ...
The first step in research would be to enumerate the opportunities for innovation, recognizing the constraints brought about by the size, age, and complexity of existing water and wastewater infrastructures. A broad-gauge, economic analysis should follow that would quantify the costs and multiple benefits of these innovative designs (e.g., increased security, improved drinking water quality, enhanced sustainability of water resources)
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From page 95... ...
and also speed the recovery process from a chemical or biological attack. However, a dual distribution system might also make a contamina tion attack on the drinking water supply easier because less contaminant mass would be needed to produce a toxic effect.
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From page 96... ...
In-Pipe Interventions to Reduce Exposure In-pipe engineering interventions (see Box 6-1) are deserving of research in a long-term water security research strategy.
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From page 97... ...
and evaluate their benefits for security and sustainability relative to their costs. Infrastructure Designs to Enable Isolation and Interconnection Most large drinking water systems have the ability to isolate portions of their distribution systems during necessary system repairs, but security concerns provide a new impetus for rapid and effective isolation mechanisms.
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From page 98... ...
The development of a threat assessment process for local water and wastewater utilities with current techniques used in other infrastructures would also be helpful, provided the threat information could be communicated to those who need it (ASME, 2004; Sandia National Laboratories, 2001)
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From page 99... ...
· Update the risk assessment methodology for water systems to incorporate the latest approaches used in other industries, including developing credible threat descriptions and identifying cascading consequences. Long-Term Priorities · Develop innovative design strategies for drinking water and wastewater systems that mitigate security risks and identify their costs and benefits in the context of public health, sustainability, costeffectiveness, and homeland security.
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From page 100... ...
· Periodically review the EPA's prioritized list of threats, contaminants, and threat scenarios to identify items that should be added to the list and remove items that are no longer a concern. · Continue development of technology transfer/training programs so that utilities understand the value of the EPA's products for both homeland security incidents and natural disasters and know how to utilize the tools to their full extent.
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From page 101... ...
Final protocols would have to be tested thoroughly against priority chemical contaminants. Chromatographic fingerprints have been used to monitor water supplies for nonintentional contamination, so this line of research would provide a dual benefit (D.
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From page 102... ...
102 IMPROVING THE NATION'S WATER SECURITY microbe and background microbes to determine specificity of detection and various dilutions of the target microbe to determine sensitivity of detection. The protocol should also be tested on chloraminated water samples.
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From page 103... ...
The implementation of syndromic surveillance systems on a large scale would require a more detailed linkage between disparate databases used in the public health sector and the water supply sector. Research to develop tools to allow local systems to readily fuse information from these disparate sources would be desirable.
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From page 104... ...
Thus, improving monitoring systems for specific chemical or biological agents in drinking water is a valid long-term research goal. The EPA may find that longer-term research on more speculative sensor development could benefit from a further broadening of the circle of collaborators.
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From page 105... ...
This research would provide useful guidance for the developers of water quality monitoring devices, for utilities that are considering implementing devices that are commercially available, and for local and state regulatory agencies who will need assistance interpreting alarm signals in light of the public health consequences.
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From page 106... ...
Although the process of identifying technologies of interest has begun through the use of stakeholder meetings and advisory boards, activities to date have been weighted toward doing the easiest things first, and only some of these tests provided dual-use benefits. Balancing the homeland security benefits and the benefits to routine water system operations in TTEP will likely require additional strategic planning.
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From page 107... ...
. Distribution system models also have important dual-use applications to routine water quality concerns, and the EPA should continue to emphasize the dual-use value of its modeling tools.
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From page 108... ...
The EPA should work to communicate the capabilities of EPANET, MSEPANET, and TEVA to utilities, emphasizing their value for routine water quality concerns, advanced homeland security planning, and contamination assessment and response activities. Until TEVA and MSEPANET are further developed and widely available, the EPA should
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From page 109... ...
· Continue research to develop a first-stage RTMS based on routine water quality sensors with dual-use applications.
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· Improve syndromic surveillance tools and develop a health surveillance network with appropriate linkages to water quality monitoring.
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From page 111... ...
The development of multiplex detection protocols and portable, field-deployable platforms are examples of tasks that might be better managed by some group other than the EPA. Work to determine the sensitivity and specificity of designated protocols for different biothreat agents could be conducted by university laboratories or private industry, with collaborative input from the EPA, considering their understanding of the needs of the water sector.
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From page 112... ...
Tools and Data for Emergency Planning and Response Continued Development of Emergency Response Databases The EPA released preliminary versions of the Water Contamination Information Tool (WCIT) and the Consequence Assessment Tool (CAT)
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From page 113... ...
Filling Data Gaps The state of knowledge of the health risks from water contaminants that could be used in a malicious event is quite limited, as shown by the limited number of chemicals and even fewer biologicals in the WCIT/CAT databases and the many blank data fields in these databases. Important experimental and computational research is under way at the EPA to address some of these data gaps (see Chapter 4, Section 3.6)
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From page 114... ...
The committee debated the value of investing significant resources in developing technologies that could supply drinking water for large communities over long-term disruptions because of the rarity of the need for such technologies. Nevertheless, the EPA should draw upon the research and development efforts of the Department of Defense in this area and work to test the application of these technologies to water security scenarios.
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From page 115... ...
The EPA should continually reassess the role risk communication has in its overall risk management framework and fully integrate risk communication efforts into the overall risk management program. Behavioral science and associated risk communication research should be a high priority in the EPA's future water security research plans.
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From page 116... ...
Investigate Applicability of Research in Behavioral Science While some of the recommended research on risk communication and behavioral science may need to be managed by the EPA to address specific water security-related issues, the EPA should also take advantage of other behavioral science research currently being conducted through university-based partnerships, including those established by the Homeland Security Centers of Excellence program. For example, the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terror (START)
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From page 117... ...
. Analysis of the Risks and Benefits of Releasing Security Information The decision of when to release or withhold water security information is critical to the development of a risk communication strategy.
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From page 118... ...
Addressing Data Gaps EPA decontamination research products released thus far have shown that fundamental physical, chemical, and/or biological characteristics of many threat agents of concern are not yet known. Therefore, additional laboratory research is needed related to the behavior of contaminants in water supply and wastewater systems and methods for decontaminating water infrastructure.
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From page 119... ...
Prioritizing Future Surrogate Research Surrogates are relevant to numerous water security research applications, including research on contaminant fate and transport, human exposure risks, and decontamination. Research is ongoing to identify surrogates or simulants for biological agents, to determine which surrogates are appropriate, and to determine the ability of typical drinking water disinfection practices (chlorination and chloramination)
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From page 120... ...
Lessons Learned from Natural Disasters Midway through the committee's work, NRC (2005; see Appendix A) suggested the EPA take advantage of experience gained in the aftermath of Katrina so as to improve future response and recovery efforts for water security.
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From page 121... ...
Contingencies for Water Emergencies · Complete the work in progress on contingencies and infrastructure interdependencies under Section 3.5 of the Action Plan. · Test and evaluate the most promising innovative water supply technologies that enable or enhance the short- or long-term delivery of drinking water in the event of systemic failure of water systems.
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From page 122... ...
· Fully integrate risk communication efforts into the overall risk management program and provide adequate resources that ensure these efforts remain a high priority in the EPA's future water security research program. · Conduct research to better understand how agencies will interact in a water-related crisis situation and determine what strategies will be most effective in encouraging and maintaining collaboration in planning and preparedness.
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From page 123... ...
· Integrate experience with decontamination of the distribution system in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to improve EPA guidance for water security decontamination. · Evaluate risk communication strategies related to Hurricane Katrina or other past disaster events to determine if communication strategies related to drinking water safety reached the most vulnerable populations.
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From page 124... ...
Thus, the EPA remains the appropriate lead agency to develop the tools for emergency response and to prioritize the research needed to fill the remaining gaps, with input from key stakeholders. The EPA is also well suited to develop a national training program on water-related risk communication and to evaluate lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and other past disaster events.
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From page 125... ...
The EPA should take advantage of existing behavioral science research that could be applied to water security issues to improve response and recovery efforts. At the same time, when gaps exist, the EPA should support rigorous empirical research that will help address, for example, what the public's beliefs, opinions, and knowledge about water security risks are; how risk perception and other psychological factors affect responses to water-related events; and how to communicate these risks effectively to the public.
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From page 126... ...
and improving research on water security contingencies, behavioral sciences, and risk communication. The EPA should also evaluate the relative importance of future laboratory work on surrogate development and address data gaps in the knowledge of decontamination processes and behavior.
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From page 127... ...
Increasing staff expertise in some key areas, such as physical security and behavioral sciences, will be necessary to build a strong and well-rounded water security research program.
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