IWA 6:2008

International Workshop
Agreement
IWA 6
Guidelines for the management of
drinking water utilities under crisis
conditions
* * * *
Lignes directrices pour le management des services de l'eau potable
dans des conditions de crise
Reference number ©
ISO 2008
All rights reserved
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ii © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

Guidelines for the management of drinking IWA 6:2008(E)
water utilities under crisis conditions

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Workshop contributors.v
Background.vii
Introduction.viii
Guidelines for the management of drinking water utilities under crisis conditions.1
1 Scope.1
2 Terms and definitions .1
3 Framework for management of a water crisis.4
Annex A (informative) Preparedness stage — List of elements .9
Annex B (informative) Response stage — List of elements.12
Annex C (informative) Recovery stage — Relevant procedures.13
Annex D (informative) Subjects for which detailed standards could be prepared .16
Annex E (informative) Technological instruments, means and models for ensuring drinking water
security.21
Bibliography.29

water utilities under crisis conditions

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). ISO's technical work is normally carried out through ISO technical committees in which
each ISO member body has the right to be represented. International organizations, governmental and
nongovernmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
In order to respond to urgent market requirements, ISO has also introduced the possibility of preparing
documents through a workshop mechanism, external to its normal committee processes. These documents
are published by ISO as International Workshop Agreements. Proposals to hold such workshops may come
from any source and are subject to approval by the ISO Technical Management Board which also designates
an ISO member body to assist the proposer in the organization of the workshop. International Workshop
Agreements are approved by consensus amongst the individual participants in such workshops. Although it is
permissible that competing International Workshop Agreements exist on the same subject, an International
Workshop Agreement shall not conflict with an existing ISO or IEC standard.
An International Workshop Agreement is reviewed after three years, under the responsibility of the member
body designated by the Technical Management Board, in order to decide whether it will be confirmed for a
further three years, transferred to an ISO technical body for revision, or withdrawn. If the International
Workshop Agreement is confirmed, it is reviewed again after a further three years, at which time it must be
either revised by the relevant ISO technical body or withdrawn.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Workshop Agreement IWA 6 was drafted at a workshop held in Tel Aviv, Israel, in October 2007,
which was organized jointly by Israel's Water Authority and The Standards Institution of Israel (SII).

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Workshop contributors
Participants at Tel Aviv workshop (2007)
Participants that have approved this International Workshop Agreement:
Canada
⎯ Ellison Thomas D. — Canadian Water and Wastewater Association
⎯ Dr. Kleiner Yehuda — National Research Council of Canada
⎯ Mansour Husam — Canadian Standards Association
France
⎯ Olivier Dominique — Veolia Water
⎯ Nguyen Bruno — Eau de Paris
Israel
⎯ Akerman Isaac D. — Standards Institution of Israel
⎯ Bar Lev Nir — Raanana Municipality
⎯ Ben-Ari Yaron — Standards Institution of Israel
⎯ Bettane Patrick — Global Water Security And Safety – Consultants
⎯ Dr. Ezra Shai — Mekorot, Israel's national water company
⎯ Frenkel Levi — Mekorot, Israel's national water company
⎯ Dr. Ostfeld Avi — Technion
⎯ Rashty Mira — Whitewater
⎯ Sack Jacobo — Consultant to Israel's Water Authority
⎯ Tal Shimon — Tal Content Ltd
⎯ Dr. Ulitzur Nirit — CheckLight
Italy
⎯ Bianchi Sergio — Agenfor Italia
Trinidad and Tobago
⎯ Charran Narine — Ministry of Public Utilities and the Environment
water utilities under crisis conditions

USA
⎯ Duran Kimberley — Bureau of Reclamation
⎯ Gibson Mark — Hach Company/Danaher
⎯ Gilmartin David — The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
⎯ Dr. Hasit Yakir — CH2M HILL
⎯ Taussig Donald — Bureau of Reclamation
Participants that have rejected this International Workshop Agreement:
Austria
⎯ Rohrhofer Karl — GWCC/General Water Consult Corp.
Germany
⎯ Dr. Werner Claudia — DVGW Deutsche Vereinigung des Gas-und wasserfaches e.v.
The Netherlands
⎯ Wens van der Patrick — Brabant Water
Observers at Tel Aviv workshop (2007)
France
⎯ Redaud Jean Luc — ISO/TC 224 Chairman
⎯ Thomas Laurence — ISO/TC 224 Secretary
Israel
⎯ Etzioni Dan — Standards Institution of Israel
⎯ Dr. Friedman Gad — Consultant
⎯ Gertler Meni — Israel's Water Authority
⎯ Dr. Hassid Nehemiah — Ben Gurion University
⎯ Lacker Daniel — Municipal Water Works Administration Water
⎯ Paz Eli — Engineer Chief
⎯ Salomons Elad — OptiWater
⎯ Sarid Eyal — Mekorot, Israel's national water company
⎯ Dr. Sverdlov Erez — Thinkware/Matrix
⎯ Vardi Aharon — Israel's Water Authority
PA
⎯ Abu Sharia Mazen — Palestinian Standards Institution
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Guidelines for the management of drinking IWA 6:2008(E)
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Background
The Standards Institution of Israel (SII) has identified the area of water technologies and water security as
critical and crucial for communities, countries and society as a whole. To address this issue, SII proposed to
develop an ISO International Workshop Agreement (IWA) on water security, producing a framework which
would constitute a basis for the justification of establishing a subcommittee within the framework of
ISO/TC 224 or for developing standards in other technical committees. This request was approved by the
ISO Technical Management Board (TMB).
This International Workshop Agreement is based on SII's proposed draft IWA on water security and consists
of an introduction, a framework for the management of water crisis, and proposals for technological
instruments and means for ensuring drinking water security, and on models for water distribution systems
security.
This International Workshop Agreement includes the introduction and the description of the management
elements required for a drinking water utility or facility. The second part of this International Workshop
Agreement contains proposals for products and means and models.
Within the scope of the activity of the Standards Institution of Israel to be the leader in the standardization on
the subject of water security, two working groups were appointed to examine the possibility of standardization
on the subject of water security as preparatory activity for the Tel Aviv workshop in 2007:
⎯ working group on the subjects of means and models;
⎯ working group on the subject of management of a water crisis.
This International Workshop Agreement attempts to examine and select those possible standardization
subjects on the topic of management of a water crisis.
It was decided at the Tel Aviv workshop to consider standardization with regard to two aspects:
a) examine the possibility of preparing a standard on the subject of a water crisis management system for a
water utility;
b) identify possible standards for technologies, means and procedures.
A water utility that is interested in adopting a standard for management of a water crisis should first determine
what is the minimum level of service that it wishes or is required to provide to its consumers and as a
consequence, define the activities and measures meeting this level of service in emergency and crisis
situations. These activities should comply with the requirements established by the relevant authorities and
with existing standards and common practices.
Parts of this International Workshop Agreement are consistent with the following three guidelines developed
by ISO/TC 224 on drinking water and wastewater services:
⎯ ISO 24510, dealing with assessment and improvement of service to users,
⎯ ISO 24511, dealing with management of wastewater utilities and assessment of wastewater services, and
⎯ ISO 24512, dealing with management of drinking water utilities and assessment of drinking water
services.
Appreciation is extended to Israel's Water Authority and The Standards Institution of Israel for both the
organization of the workshop and the preparation of this International Workshop Agreement.
water utilities under crisis conditions

Introduction
0.1 General
Water is the source of life, the most precious and important of all natural resources, without which the human
species cannot survive. Nevertheless, many countries do not know how to maintain the desired level of water
quantity and water quality.
Impairment of the drinking water would change the level of life of the affected population in the immediate
period while in the medium-term period, it would affect their ability to survive.
Any incident involving drinking water systems that caused massive illness or unplanned interruption in the
water supply in a large area would have enormous economic impacts and complicated psychological effects
on the relevant population, creating a public panic situation requiring the local drinking water utilities and the
authorities to operate extensive emergency systems in the affected area.
Severe damage resulting from an intentional disruption or destruction caused by a natural disaster or an
accident, having an impact on the quantity or the quality of drinking water and causing a major disaster, would
severely interrupt the living quality in the affected area and in its vicinity.
The destructive influence of such damage to drinking water could significantly deviate from the damaged
geographic area and have a widespread effect, mainly in terms of creating panic and feelings of insecurity
amongst the population.
Water utilities act within the context of increasing security risks and threats, more stringent legislation and
regulation, heightened awareness of the need for adequate emergency response and remediation planning,
concerns of interested and affected parties, and the need to assure operational continuity.
0.2 Main threats to the drinking water supply systems
The result of the occurrence of any of the many types of threats on the partial or full sudden interruption of the
drinking water supply for an extended period of time would constitute a water crisis requiring the operation of
local and national emergency systems at various extents and levels, depending on the actual damage and
assessment of possible damages. In extreme occurrences, the possibility exists that the water crisis could
continue for a long period of time, during which the supply of drinking water to the residents would come from
alternative sources that were not damaged or contaminated.
The effects of the threats may be local, regional or national, depending on the preparedness and the
professional and operational capability of the parties responsible for reducing the extent of the water crisis, its
severity and its length as much as possible.
Potential threats to drinking water supply systems can be natural or man-made, intentional or non-intentional,
and they are characterized by an interruption of essential infrastructure, materials, service or personnel,
without which the locally agreed level of service cannot be attained.
0.3 Preparedness
Water utilities supplying drinking water have a primary function to be prepared for providing a continuous
response during all stages of the crisis. The preparedness of drinking water utilities that bear the responsibility
of preventing impairment to the water installations and their level of vigilance is a necessary condition for
providing an appropriate and effective answer to dealing with water crises. It is advisable that drinking water
utilities be prepared to provide a response at all times through coordination with local and/or national bodies,
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Guidelines for the management of drinking IWA 6:2008(E)
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in order to minimize damages and to ensure the continued supply of water to the users. The scheme
1)
illustrated in Figure 1 demonstrates the value of being prepared for the consequences of a water crisis.

Figure 1 — Effectiveness of crisis management
0.4 Standardization in drinking water supply security issues
Comprehensive guidelines, in the form of International Standards for the management of drinking water
utilities under emergency and crisis conditions, may be desirable and are currently under development.
NOTE 1 CEN/TC 164 are developing a standard on the security of drinking water supplies.
NOTE 2 Standardization for water security takes into consideration processes and procedures as defined in the
documents of other international organizations, e.g. the World Health Organization.
While the management of drinking water utilities under crisis conditions needs to meet national or regional
requirements of relevant authorities, the development of International Standards could provide assistance.
Some terminology standards on these issues are under development and it is advisable that they be
considered when developing water security standards.
Other standards covering technologies, means and processes may need to be developed.

1) Taken from ISO/PAS 22399.
Guidelines for the management of drinking IWA 6:2008(E)
water utilities under crisis conditions

Guidelines for the management of drinking water utilities under crisis
conditions
1 Scope
This International Workshop Agreement is intended to identify and chart the critical elements that are of great
significance to drinking water security. Its purpose is to set in motion a continuous process for the
establishment of guidelines on management systems for drinking water utilities under crisis conditions.
This International Workshop Agreement provides the guidelines for a water utility, or any body responsible for
the management of parts of the water supply system, to be prepared and ready to manage a water crisis. It
also provides a roadmap for possible relevant International Standards that could be useful and could be
developed.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
2.1
consequence
outcome of an event
NOTE 1 There can be more than one consequence from one event.
NOTE 2 Consequences can range from positive to negative.
NOTE 3 Consequences can be expressed qualitatively or quantitatively.
NOTE 4 Adapted from ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002, 3.1.2.
2.2
crisis
any incident, human-caused or natural, that can result in water supply disruption or contamination and that
requires urgent attention and action to protect life, property or environment
2.3
disaster
event that causes great damage or loss
2.4
disruption
incident, whether anticipated or unanticipated, which disrupts the normal course of operations at a water utility
NOTE 1 A disruption can be caused by either positive or negative factors that will disrupt normal operations.
NOTE 2 An example of an anticipated disruption is a hurricane.
NOTE 3 An example of an unanticipated disruption is a blackout or an earthquake.
2.5
emergency
sudden, urgent, usually unexpected, occurrence or event requiring immediate action
NOTE An emergency is usually a disruptive event or condition that can often be anticipated or prepared for, but
seldom exactly foreseen.
water utilities under crisis conditions

2.6
exercising
evaluating programmes, rehearsing the roles of team members and staff and testing the recovery of an
organization’s systems
NOTE 1 An organization's systems include, for example, technology, telephony and administration.
NOTE 2 Exercises include activities performed for the purpose of training and conditioning team members and
personnel in appropriate responses, with the goal of achieving maximum performance.
NOTE 3 An exercise can involve invoking operational response and recovery procedures, but is more likely to involve
the simulation of an incident, announced or unannounced, in which participants role-play in order to assess what issues
might arise prior to a real invocation.
2.7
event
occurrence of a particular set of circumstances
NOTE 1 The event can be certain or uncertain.
NOTE 2 The event can be a single occurrence or a series of occurrences.
NOTE 3 The probability associated with the event can be estimated for a given period of time.
[ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002, 3.1.4]
2.8
impact
evaluated consequence of a particular outcome
2.9
incident
event that might be, or could lead to, an operational interruption, disruption, loss, emergency or crisis
2.10
incident management plan
clearly defined and documented plan of action for use at the time of an incident or disruption, typically
covering the key personnel, resources, services and actions needed to implement the incident management
process
2.11
mitigation
limitation of any negative consequence of a particular incident
2.12
prevention
measures that enable an organization to avoid, preclude or limit the impact of a disruption
2.13
probability
extent to which an event is likely to occur
NOTE 1 ISO 3534-1:1993, definition 1.1 gives the mathematical definition of probability as “a real number in the scale
of 0 to 1 attached to a random event. It can be related to a long-run relative frequency of occurrence or to a degree of
belief that an event will occur. For a high degree of belief, the probability is near 1.”
NOTE 2 Frequency rather than probability may be used to describe risk.
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Guidelines for the management of drinking IWA 6:2008(E)
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NOTE 3 Degrees of belief about probability can be chosen as classes or ranks, such as
⎯ rare/unlikely/moderate/likely/almost certain, or
⎯ incredible/improbable/remote/occasional/probable/frequent.
[ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002, 3.1.3]
2.14
response programme
plans, processes and resources to perform the activities and services necessary to preserve and protect life,
property, operations and critical assets
NOTE Response steps generally include incident recognition, notification, assessment, declaration, plan execution,
communications and resources management.
2.15
risk
combination of the probability of an event and its consequences
NOTE 1 The term “risk” is generally used only when there is at least the possibility of negative consequences.
NOTE 2 In some situations, risk arises from the possibility of deviation from the expected outcome or event.
NOTE 3 Adapted from ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002, 3.1.1.
2.16
risk acceptance
decision to accept a risk
NOTE 1 The verb “to accept” is chosen to convey the idea that acceptance has its basic dictionary meaning.
NOTE 2 Risk acceptance depends on risk criteria.
[ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002, 3.4.10]
2.17
risk assessment
overall process of risk identification, analysis and evaluation
NOTE Risk assessment involves the process of identifying internal and external threats and vulnerabilities, identifying
the likelihood of an event arising from such threats or vulnerabilities, defining critical functions necessary to continue the
organization’s operations, defining the controls in place necessary to reduce exposure, and evaluating the cost of such
controls.
2.18
risk management
coordinated activities to direct and control an organization with regard to risk
NOTE Risk management generally includes risk assessment, risk treatment, risk acceptance and risk
communication.
[ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002, 3.1.7]
2.19
risk reduction
actions taken to lessen the probability, negative consequences, or both, associated with a risk
[ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002, 3.4.4]
water utilities under crisis conditions

2.20
risk communication
exchange or sharing of information about risk between the decision-maker and other stakeholders
NOTE The information can relate to the existence, nature, form, probability, severity, acceptability, treatment or other
aspects of risk.
[ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002, 3.2.4]
2.21
threat
potential cause of an unwanted incident, which can result in harm to individuals, a system or organization, the
environment or the community
2.22
top management
directors and officers of an organization which can ensure that effective management systems, including
financial monitoring and control systems, have been put in place to protect assets, earning capacity and the
reputation of the organization
3 Framework for management of a water crisis
3.1 Importance of a management system
3.1.1 General
An appropriate supply of water is essential to the maintenance of public health, safety and the economy.
Contamination or disruption of the water supply system may become a health, economic and environmental
danger.
Applying appropriate management standards would enable organizations to manage and improve their
security performance and, at the same time, meet their legal obligations. A high-level management standard
should be applicable to all types and sizes of water utilities and to accommodate diverse geographical, cultural
and social conditions.
An appropriate management standard for water crisis management would provide a broad approach to the
need of a water utility to receive the assurance that its security and continuity preparedness, emergency
contingency plans and performance not only meet, but will also continue to meet, its legal and policy
requirements.
The application of such a standard for water crisis management would provide a framework for the
development of tools to help water utilities to prepare for, cope with and manage an incident or event
occurring as a result of a water emergency situation.
A standard for water emergency management would be intended to provide a minimal baseline for developing
and implementing incident preparedness and operational continuity within a water utility, and to provide
confidence in organization-to-community, business-to-business and organization-to-customer/client dealings.
Such a standard would include the elements of the different stages of a water crisis, i.e. the stages of
preparedness, response and recovery.
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3.1.2 Elements involved in management of a crisis in a water utility
The essence of management of a water crisis by a water utility includes several stages and components,
which should be independent of the specific water utility or the environment in which it operates. The stages
should be suitable for both sophisticated and conventional water utilities in developed or developing countries.
In analysing a water crisis, four stages have been identified. Definition of the stages in a logical manner
serves as the basis for determining the requirements of a water utility to cope with a water crisis in an effective
manner (i.e. the extent of the resources required, the establishment of a suitable organization infrastructure,
the writing of procedures for each of the stages, characterization of the communication channels necessary
for internal communication within the organization and with those having an interest outside the organization,
characterization and procurement of means).
The four stages are
a) preparedness,
b) response,
c) recovery, and
d) lessons learned and review of the whole management system [then return to the first stage
(preparedness)];
The management methodology should be based on the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) model (see Figure 2),
comprising the following stages:
⎯ Plan: establish the objectives, procedures and processes necessary to deliver improvements in
accordance with the organization’s security needs and should be based on the threat definitions and risk
assessment;
⎯ Do: implement the procedures and processes;
⎯ Check: monitor and measure procedures and processes against the relevant risks;
⎯ Act: take actions to continually improve the preparedness of the water utility.
The PDCA model is sometimes referred to as the APCI (Assess-Protect-Confirm-Improve) model.
Plan
Do
Act
Check
Figure 2 — PDCA model
water utilities under crisis conditions

The adaptation of the PDCA model to water security is as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3 — The water crisis management cycle
3.2 Stages in a water security incident
3.2.1 Threat definition and risk assessment
The basis for constructing a plan to contend with a water crisis in a water utility is by identification and
definition of the threats and conducting a survey of the effect of the threats on the operation of the water utility,
on its interest parties and on the environment, while being concerned with adhering to the requirements of the
regulator and any other additional requirements.
A threat can be defined as anything (action, material, etc.) that may endanger and/or harm people and the
organization, including its goals and level of service to consumers, interested parties and the environment,
and it should be handled in accordance with existing accepted practices and standards.
Defining and acknowledging a threat involves establishing the following:
a) the type of threat, i.e. technological failure, human error, natural disaster (severe weather or earthquake
event), vandalism, criminal act, terrorism or wars;
b) the various components of a particular threat, i.e. chemical, biological and/or radioactive components,
interruption of regular water supply, etc.;
c) level of concentration of a particular threat and the risk class;
d) possible scenarios of the occurrence of the incident and its significance for the water supply system, for
consumers and for the community and societal services;
e) assessment of the initial dangers and tools for assessing the dangers according to the above scenarios.
The output of this stage is a list of threats (natural or man-made) to the water supply system, prioritized by a
risk analysis and vulnerability assessment.
3.2.2 Preparedness
Preparedness does not depend on a specific crisis, or a type and character of crisis, but is a stage that begins
with establishment and design and an entry of the water utility into its routine activity, and ends when the
operation of the company deviates from its routine activity regardless of the reason. When a crisis occurs, the
preparedness is halted and the water utility passes onto the response stage. After the stages of recovery and
lessons learned have been completed, the utility returns to the preparedness stage. The stage is not always
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Guidelines for the management of drinking IWA 6:2008(E)
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the same in the various departments in the water utility, but is unique to the department level or possibly to the
function. In addition, one group in a water utility may be in the preparedness stage, whilst another group may
simultaneously be dealing with a crisis.
The preparedness stage in a water crisis is defined as being the time when a crisis in the organization is not
being dealt with. A water utility in which there is awareness of the serious effects that can occur due to the
occurrence of a water crisis that was not dealt with within a short time and in a proper manner, uses the
preparedness to reinforce the organizational policy in preparation for a water crisis. Strengthening the policy
can be accomplished by establishing targets and goals, by preparations and combining suitable controls,
maintaining a process of lessons learned and constant improvement.
In the preparedness stage, the water utility should make use of the preparation, inspection and
implementation time of appropriate management systems that provide support not only in the routine
operation of the water utility systems, but also with elements related to water security. Suitable procedures
should be prepared for prevention, reaction, treatment and recovery of the water utility from a water crisis,
while fulfilling regulator and other requirements and meeting the service levels established by the water utility.
The top management of the water utility should take action:
⎯ to characterize, purchase and install technologies that support the management culture and the
procedures prepared;
⎯ to establish appropriate technologies for the physical and logical security of the water utility's facilities and
water monitoring;
⎯ to establish a routine for monitoring the various means installed to deal with a water crisis;
⎯ to prepare plans for training personnel and for drills of the water utility in anticipation of a water crisis.
In order for the water utility top management to decide what means are required, it should consider the
reference threats, policies, targets and goals. The sequence for dealing with a crisis in order to minimize its
consequences should be established as follows:
a) prevention of a water crisis;
b) acts of confinement, cleansing and recovery of the system;
c) response to the situation, requiring assistance of external bodies, e.g. neighbouring water utilities,
authorities or governing bodies.
A (non-exhaustive) list of elements that should be considered in the preparedness stage is given in Annex A.
3.2.3 Response
The response stage should put into effective implementation the procedures defined during the preparedness
stage. A comprehensive list of relevant elements is given in Annex B.
3.2.4 Recovery
It is important that recovery management follows a procedure that sets reasonable recovery goals (cleanliness
levels, etc.), intermediate goals (if necessary), application of a recovery process in an effective and
responsible manner, and the establishment of actions and necessary recovery means. A comprehensive list of
relevant elements is given in Annex C.
water utilities under crisis conditions

3.2.5 Lessons learned and review of the whole management system
In order to improve the level of competence of the water utility regarding its preparedness for a water crisis, it
is essential to identify the lessons learned and to implement them within the management framework. The
elements of this stage should include, among other elements, management reviews, and the establishing of a
process for preventive and corrective actions. Following a review of the whole management system on the
basis of the lessons learned, the utility returns to the first stage (preparedness).
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Annex A
(informative)
Preparedness stage — List of elements
A.1 Management and operational procedures
The water utility should prepare and maintain a folder of procedures for management of all stages of a water
crisis incident, based upon those set out in this International Workshop Agreement. The procedures should be
customized to suit the utilities structure, infrastructure and services.
A.2 Physical protection systems
In order to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing sensitive areas within the water utility, protection is
necessary. The protection will block the physical access of those who are not authorized and, therefore, to
reduce the probability of damage to the water utility. Physical and electronic means are available that provide
protection to the various components of the water supply system, i.e. pools, reservoirs, drillings, accessories,
piping, etc. The considerations in the selection of means for physical protection should be risk assessment, as
well as proven and approved means recommended by an authoritative technical expert or conforming to the
appropriate standards. In addition, the performance of the water utility workers and the forces that respond on
an immediate basis should be taken into consideration. Some of the electronic means may be used to
document the incident, in order to locate the reasons for the fault and to constitute part of the basis for the
lessons-learned process after the incident.
A.3 Warning systems for water contamination
The water utility should supply water of a quantity and quality required for its customers and verify that unfit
water does not reach the public. The possible factors for contamination of drinking water are many and varied,
e.g. an accident in the chlorine system, a malicious act (terror) and natural disasters. In the preparedness
stage, there is need for the installation of continuous monitoring instrumentation within the water supply
system while considering all its components (reservoirs, tanks and pools, pumping stations, transport piping,
etc.). The purpose of this instrumentation is to check, detect, identify and provide a warning. The
instrumentation should operate for the detection of pollutants in relation with the reference threat and risk
assessment performed by the water utility. Installation and use of this instrumentation should be supported by
appropriate operation procedures to be executed upon receipt of a warning. The procurement, installation and
maintenance specifications of these means should be in accordance with the recommendations of an
authoritative technical expert, or in accordance with standards for instrumentation of this type.
A.4 Emergency operations centre
The water utility should set up a control centre for water security incidents that will comprise a means for
effective management of an incident. The centre should be capable of activating both those responsible and
the decision makers 24 hours a day, as well as maintaining communication and control means, etc. The
function of the centre should be defined for the various stages of a water incident depending on the type of
activity of the water utility. The water utility should rely on standards or definitions prepared by certified
professionals who have been approved to deal with the matter by official parties.
water utilities under crisis conditions

A.5 Redundancy of the essential components of the system necessary for the
supply of alternative water through the water supply system.
Based on the water utility risk assessment, it is necessary to prepare plans for an alternative supply of water.
The water utility should check and prepare plans that resume its capability to supply water, on the basis of the
existing system, during a water security incident based upon the back-up of alternative water sources, of fuel
oil generators, of flexible and portable piping, fuel, etc. Appropriate procedures and skilled personnel should
be available and exercises should be conducted to maintain the necessary level of capability.
A.6 Contingencies
Furthermore, the water utility should prepare contingency plans and make all the necessary preparations for
the distribution of water without going through the existing water supply system. The plans should include the
definition of procedures, allocation of resources and means, timetables, service measures and the level of
preparedness and level of means storage required in order to supply alternative water in such a situation. It
might not always be possible for the water utility to maintain the necessary preparedness; consequently, the
water utility should act to create a network of external organizations and bodies which have the capability to
assist in the water distribution. Water distribution in situations where the existing network cannot be used
should be carried out by means of tankers, tanks, bottles of water, etc. One of the solutions is to make the
customers of the water utility aware of the possibility of disruption and to explain to them the need to store
water in their homes, in bottles or tanks, in case of an emergency.
A.7 Interfaces with other emergency and environmental and public safety and health
organizations
If a water security incident is not confined in time, it has a tendency to develop into a disaster with serious
consequences for the population and for the environment. The water utility should do its utmost to confine the
incident at the stages of initial inception, and to limit the amount of damage to the population and the
environment. However, this is not always possible, and so the involvement of the authorities with its agencies
and organizations is often necessary. The water utility should prepare lists of external parties and
organizations within its information network, including means of communicating with them, contact person(s),
fields of responsibility and in what instances contact should be made, etc. This list should be updated
periodically, in accordance with the decision of the water utility top management, and should be checked
within the routine periodic exercises.
A.8 Identification and care of critical customers and critical service areas
Critical costumers (e.g. handicapped persons) and critical service areas (e.g. old people's homes, hospitals,
prisons, etc.) should be identified and mapped. Plans for alternative water supplies to these critical costumers
and service areas under crisis conditions should be prepared and exercised, in order to be able to supply
them with water.
A.9 Interface with users and citizens
The customers of a water utility are many and varied, and all are concerned about the capability of the utility to
supply drinking water during an attack. Besides the physical effect of the lack of drinking water, there is also a
psychological effect of development into a panic situation. The water utility needs to be organized to reduce
the psychological effect by providing reliable and reassuring information to its interested parties of the
readiness and capability of the utility to prevent and deal with a water security incident. Circulation of the
information to the interested parties and to the public in general should be done through proper publicity. The
water utility should act to implement the definitions on the basis of existing infrastructures, or by establishing
infrastructures in accordance with the procedure. In any case, the public relations mechanism of the water
utility should be drilled within the framework of the periodic exercises.
10 © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

Guidelines for the management of drinking IWA 6:2008(E)
water utilities under crisis conditions

A.10 Model for effective placement of water monitoring systems and for indicating
the spread of contamination in the water supply system
In order to take advantage of the water monitoring systems effectively and efficiently, a definition of the
manner of determining their location within the water systems is necessary. There are a large number of
parameters, some generic (e.g. the water system structure and regulation) and some dependent on the
policies of the water utility (e.g. a budget and confidence level). The water utility should use an optimization
model for placement of the monitoring equipment, such that a suitable level of contamination control in the
water and its location within the preparedness is ascertained, in order to ensure an immediate indication that
contamination has occurred together with an indication of the contamination location and a reliable conjecture
of the pollutant source. Preparation of a sta
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