DROUGHT RESPONSE AND RECOVERY A Basic Guide for Water Utilities Select a menu option below. New users should start with Overview and Navigation. Overview and Navigation Staffing, Response Plans Water Supply and Demand Communication and Case Studies and Videos and Funding Management Partnerships Next DISCLAIMER Staffing, Response Plans and Funding This Guide provides practical solutions to help drinking water utilities respond to and recover from drought. This Guide is not intended to serve as regulatory guidance. Mention of trade names, products or services does not convey official U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval, endorsement or recommendation for use. Water Supply and DemanDemandd Management ACKNOWLEDGMENTS EPA wishes to thank the following utilities, organizations and individuals for their participation in support of the project: Communication Utility Case Studies Focus Group Members and Partnerships • Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD), • Mary Ann Dickinson Sonora, California Alliance for Water Efficiency • (Corix) Spicewood Beach Water System, • Liz Gardener (retired) Spicewood, Texas Denver Water Case Studies • City of Las Vegas, New Mexico • Mike Howe and Videos • City of Hogansville, Georgia Texas Section, American Water Works Association • City of Hays, Kansas • Steve Lemoine • City of Russell, Kansas South Grafton Water District, • City of Clinton, Oklahoma Massachusetts • Lain Leoniak City of Bozeman, Montana • Melinda Moritz and David Dimaline City of Leon Valley, Texas • Dale Reed White Bear Lake Township, Minnesota EPA Office of Water MC 4608T EPA 810-B-16-001 March 2016 Page 2 Drought Response and Recovery: A Basic Guide for Water Utilities Resources Previous Next OVERVIEW AND NAVIGATION Staffing, Response Plans and Funding DROUGHT AND UTILITIES WHAT IS DROUGHT RESILIENCE? Although drought is usually a prolonged and slow-moving disaster, impacts can Many states have experienced prolonged For water utilities, drought resilience is the sometimes escalate suddenly and cause periods of abnormally dry or unusually hot ability to respond to immediate water supply water supply disruptions in a matter of Water Supply and weather that threaten the availability of threats, withstand drought impacts and weeks. That is why it is crucial for water Demand ManagemenManagementt water. This trend is projected to continue. recover quickly. Recovery includes consid­ utilities to have an emergency response Unlike other hazards, such as flooding and ering long-term conditions and planning for plan for severe drought conditions, in earthquakes, droughts develop gradually permanent solutions. All utilities should plan addition to longer-term strategies to cope over months or years — and it may take an to make their systems more resilient to the with declining water supplies. affected community or water utility just as impacts of drought. This Guide can help util­ Communication long, if not longer, to recover. ities respond to and recover from drought. Drought response includes taking immediate and Partnerships actions to maintain service to customers by Droughts can result in significant economic, Drought-resilient utilities: increasing supplies and reducing water use. social, environmental and water utility This involves ensuring water for essential • Take action to protect human health and operational impacts, including: services such as medical care, fire protection the environment, while maintaining a and general health and sanitation. For the • Loss of water supply. minimum level of service for customers purposes of this Guide, drought response Case Studies during drought. and Videos • Poor source water quality that may actions are taken when a utility projects affect treatment and the ability to • Manage decreases in water supply, that their water supply may run out within meet drinking water standards. increases in water demand and changes 180 days (6 months). • Stressed alternative and supplementary in water quality. water sources due to high demand by • Plan for future changes in weather other drought-affected users. and climate patterns that can reduce • Increased demand from customers. water supply. • Increased costs and reduced revenues related to drought response. Page 3 Drought Response and Recovery: A Basic Guide for Water Utilities Resources Previous Next OVERVIEW AND NAVIGATION (Continued) Staffing, Response Plans and Funding Once drought conditions have lessened, Drought response and recovery activities Utilities can use this Guide as a pre­ utilities can begin drought recovery activities in this Guide cover: to restore service to previous or newly ad­ paredness tool if they are not currently • Staffing, Response Plans and Funding. justed operating conditions. These activities experiencing a drought. To increase Establish staffing and drought response may include lifting water use restrictions, resilience to future droughts, utilities Water Supply and teams; develop drought response plans; replenishing water supply sources and should have an effective year-round Water Demand Management consider funding and financing options. regaining financial stability. Utilities can Conservation Program and Drought also explore incorporating new practices, • Water Supply and Demand Management. Response Plan in place prior to a drought. projects and other mitigation measures into Estimate quantity of current water Actions taken before a drought occurs, day-to-day operations to be less vulnerable supplies; develop ways to reduce water such as implementing a leak detection Communication to and better prepared for the next drought. use; identify potential supplemental and repair program, can increase available and Partnerships water supplies. supplies and be more cost effective in the long term. WHY DID EPA DEVELOP THE DROUGHT • Communication and Partnerships. RESPONSE AND RECOVERY GUIDE? Establish and communicate key messages to customers and stakeholders; develop EPA developed this Guide to help drinking partnerships. Case Studies water utilities become more resilient to and Videos drought. The Guide presents real-world examples, best practices and lessons learned in drought response and recovery. When working through the Guide, consider how the suggested actions may be adapted to your utility’s priorities and available resources. Note that your state may have specific rules prohibiting or regulating some of the response actions presented in this Guide. Check with your state regulators or legal counsel before putting any activities into practice. Page 4 Drought Response and Recovery: A Basic Guide for Water Utilities Resources Previous Next NAVIGATING THE GUIDE Staffing, Response Plans and Funding The Guide is divided into four sections: Note that all of the worksheets and links embedded throughout the guide, as well Staffing, Response Plans as additional resources related to drought and Funding response and recovery, can be found by Water Supply and clicking on “Resources” at the bottom of Demand Management each page. Water Supply and Demand Management Navigate directly to the Case Studies and Videos section for more detail on the six case studies showcasing seven utilities that Communication Communication successfully responded to drought. Their and Partnerships and Partnerships best practices and real-world examples are referenced throughout the Guide. The Case Drought Response and Recovery Project for Studies and Videos section will link you Water Utilities: Case Studies Map to the “Drought Response and Recovery Case Studies and Videos Project for Water Utilities: Case Studies Map.” Case Studies This website features a geoplatform map and Videos that hosts short videos on each case study. Navigate within and between sections using the clickable links on the far left and buttons In addition to the six case studies, videos on VIDEOS on the navigation bar at the bottom of each the site also cover: page. Click Next or Previous to move Clicking on these video icons • System efficiency and new water sources page by page through the Guide. will take you to the EPA’s Drought • Water demand Response and Recovery Project for Water Section features: • Partnerships Utilities: Case Studies Map website to view short videos. • Call-out boxes highlighting best practices and real-world examples. You must be connected to the Internet • Web links for learning more about to be taken to the website. The website WORKSHEETS specific topics. features all the videos referenced in this Look for this icon to open work­ Drought Guide. Click on the tabs at the • Easy-to-use worksheets for sheets in Microsoft Word and top of the Case Studies Map website to specific activities. Excel. You can fill in the worksheets and browse through the videos. The Over­ save the information to your computer. view tab explains how to use the map. Page 5 Drought Response and Recovery: A Basic Guide for Water Utilities Resources Previous Next STAFFING, RESPONSE PLANS AND FUNDING Staffing, Response Plans and Funding DROUGHT RESPONSE TEAM BEST PRACTICE: Establish a drought UTILITY STAFFING Drought response will involve internal response team with utility staff knowl­ Drought response activities may take coordination with utility staff and external edgeable in operations, communications, priority over other routine tasks and main­ Water Supply and collaboration with other partners and stake­ regulatory requirements, legal impacts tenance, and can increase staff workloads. Demand Management holders. Designate a utility staff member and financial planning. Engage with