Title
Risk and Resiliency Assessment and Water System Plan Update Project Briefing
Recommended Action
City Manager Recommendation:
Receive a briefing on the Risk and Resiliency Assessment and Water System Plan update and provide feedback.
Report
Issue:
Whether to receive a briefing on the Risk and Resiliency Assessment and Water System Plan Update Project.
Staff Contact:
Eric Christensen, Water Resources Director, 360.570.3741
Susan Clark, Engineering and Planning Supervisor, Public Works Water Resources, 360.753.8321
Presenters:
Eric Christensen
Susan Clark
Background and Analysis:
Risk and Resiliency Assessment
America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 requires water utilities to conduct a Risk and Resilience Assessment (RRA), including an examination of risks the utility faces from malevolent acts against its physical, telemetry, and cyber systems, as well as risks it faces from natural hazards (e.g. earthquakes, extreme weather). Additionally, six months after completing an RRA, an Emergency Response Plan is required.
Because sensitive information is included in an RRA, we are not required to submit our RRA work to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), instead, we must certify that we have completed our RRA by December 31, 2020 and the Emergency Response Plan by June 30, 2021.
Our RRA effort will build upon past work, including a 2004 Water System Vulnerability Assessment and the Drinking Water Utility Emergency Response Plan.
The City hired an outside consulting firm, HDR Engineering, Inc., to assist with the RRA (and with our Water System Plan update). We are using a methodology from the American Water Works Association to conduct the RRA. Key steps include:
• Asset characterization
• Threat characterization
• Consequence analysis
• Vulnerability analysis
• Threat analysis
• Risk/resilience analysis
• Risk/resilience management
The results of the RRA will inform the water system planning process, particularly our capital and operations and maintenance programs.
Water System Plan Update
Washington Administrative Code (WAC 246-290-100) requires water utilities with 1,000 or more connections, or those that are expanding, to develop water systems plans every 6 to 10 years. Water system plans are reviewed and approved by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and are formatted to demonstrate the utility’s capacity to remain in compliance with relevant local, state and federal regulations.
The 2015-2020 Water System Plan (WSP) was approved by DOH on January 22, 2016 and our 2021-2026 WSP is due by January 22, 2022.
To conduct the update, an internal cross-sectional writing team has been formed. (Members of this writing team are also assisting with the RRA.) To date, the writing team has:
• Established a project webpage and announced the project in the September/October Five Things Utility Insert
• Attended a pre-plan meeting with representatives of DOH
• Determined the focus of our WSP update
• Reviewed and revised the 2015-2020 WSP goals and objectives
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known): None known at this time. Community outreach, particularly through the Utilities Advisory Committee, will occur as a component of the water system planning process.
Options: None at this time. Briefing only.
Financial Impact: None at this time. The Water System Plan Update will include a financial and rate analysis and a 6-year and 20-year capital improvement program.
Attachments:
RRA Fact Sheet
WSP Update Flyer