Preparing Emergency Response Plans - Drinking Water Systems

All drinking water systems and the people and businesses they serve will benefit from a well prepared emergency response plan. In New York State all community water systems that serve more than 3,300 people are required by State Public Health Law (sec. 1125) to prepare and submit a water supply emergency plan (WSEP). Although not required, smaller community water systems are encouraged to prepare a WSEP. These plans are submitted to the County Health Department or State Health Department District Health Office that regulates the utility. Some counties have additional WSEP requirements that water systems must meet.

To be useful, WSEP need to be complete, up to date, organized to find important information quickly, and readily available when needed. Each WSEP must include an assessment of vulnerability to water supply contamination and disruption, including the possibility of terrorist and cyber attack.

Emergency Response Plan Guidance and Format Information

• Letter to Community Water Systems Serving 3,301 People or More
• Water Supply Emergency Response Plans – Communications and Predefined Response Actions
• Vulnerability Assessment and Emergency Response Plan Updates Community Water Systems Serving Populations Greater Than 3,300 – Frequently Asked Questions
• Protecting Vulnerability Assessment and Emergency Response Plans from Unauthorized Disclosure
• Instructions to Obtain Access to Tier II Chemical Inventory Information. Background information regarding access to this information is provided in the Letter to Community Water Systems.

Cybersecurity Vulnerability Assessments

• Water Supply Vulnerability Assessment – Cybersecurity, Letter to the Community Water System Administrator (PDF)
• DOH Water System Cybersecurity Checklist (PDF)
• EPA: Cyber Incident Response Guide (PDF)

Additional Resources

• The Water Supply Emergency Plan Small System Templates for water systems serving up to 10,000 people have been updated for 2022. Earlier versions of these templates will no longer be accepted.
  • Emergency Response Plan Template
  • Vulnerability Assessment Template
  • WSEP Template Definitions
• Review and approval information for local health departments
  • Review and endorsement form for City and County Health Departments
  • Review and approval form for District Offices
  • Overview presentation on program updates: 2022 Updates to the Water Supply Emergency Plan Program
• Boil Water Notices: Fact Sheet and Templates for Public Drinking Water Suppliers

Vulnerability Assessment Software

• Automated Risk Assessment Methodology for Water and Wastewater (ARAM-W) – Sandia National Laboratories
• Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) – SEMS Technologies, LLC.
• Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool (VSAT Web) – U.S. EPA