# Presentation: 184415

## Hurricane Recovery EPA Water Program OverviewBriefing for ACWI

**Hurricane Recovery ****EPA Water Program Overview****Briefing for ACWI**

## Briefing Overview

- EPA’s Role
- Assistance for Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure
- Water Monitoring & Assessment Processes
- Ecosystem Restoration
- Closing

## EPA’s Role

- Direct/coordinate and/or provide technical assistance for environmental response activities at the incident site
- USCG lead for coastal zone; EPA lead for inland zone

**Notes:**
The key player during an emergency response action is the On-Scene Coordinator (OSC).  OSCs are highly skilled men and women who conduct, direct, and coordinate emergency response actions - who take whatever actions are necessary and consistent with Federal law to remove the threat.

There are approximately 215 pre-designated EPA OSCs and 46 pre-designated USCG OSCs.

In every area of the country, OSCs are on-call and ready to respond to a hazardous substance release 24-hours a day.  When a release is discovered or reported, the OSC evaluates the situation and, if the OSC decides a Federal emergency response action is necessary, he or she works with State and local emergency response teams, local police and firefighters, and other Federal agencies to eliminate the danger.  The OSC also will ensure that the public and business community are kept informed and that their concerns are considered throughout the emergency response action.

## Typical response activities include:

- Incident Action Plan development
- Site safety plan development (response planning)
- Sample collection & analysis (air/water monitoring)
- Alternative water supply provisions (potable water)
- Source control & stabilization (berms, booms, dikes, plugging release points)
- On-site treatment (neutralization, thermal destruction, solidification, detonation)
- Off-site disposal or treatment
- Temporary relocation
- Evidence collection and other law enforcement efforts

## Assistance for Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure 

- Short-term Activities
-   Tracking the operational status of systems
-   Technical assistance for emergency repair
-   Mobile labs
-   Technical assistance and advice for FEMA Public Assistance

**Notes:**
OWOW
Alaskan Cruise Ships Rule
	-- Applies to discharges of black water (sewage) and gray water (mixed) from most cruise ships in certain waters off Alaska; likely to have national implications.
	-- Have completed most sampling; proposal due in FY06.
Uniform National Discharge Standards (UNDS)
	-- Joint rulemaking with Navy to regulate discharges from Vessels of the Armed Forces – agreement on standards is difficult
Guidance for Creating Artificial Reefs
	-- Not a regulation, but Navy will be required to follow the guidance
	-- Received public comment; looking to make revisions based on comments and experience with attempts to clean the ex-Oriskany for reefing
Mitigation Rulemaking:
--  EPA is working very closely with the Army Corps as it responds to the Congressional mandate that the Corps do rulemaking by November 2005, setting equivalent standards and criteria for all forms of mitigation.

## Slide 6

## Assistance for Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure 

-  Improving future emergency response and recovery
- 	-  "Utilities helping Utilities" - Mutual Aid Agreements
- 	    (Modeled after FlaWARN)
-   Participating on ESF #14 Interagency Working Group
- 			Support states in providing technical assistance to utilities:
-   Funding assistance and advice

**Assistance for Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure**

## Water Monitoring & Assessment Processes

- Short-term Activities
-   Floodwater Sampling with LA DEQ
-   Mississippi Bays Study with State of Miss.
-   BOLD surveys with other Federal/State Agencies
-  Weekly monitoring calls with other federal agencies,           states
-   Data flow/approvals and web postings

## Water Monitoring & Assessment Processes

- Long-term Activities
-  Coordinated efforts on water monitoring with other federal and state agencies
-    to analyze data and interpret, collectively, what it means
-   Participation on State-Federal Taskforce on Sampling and Analysis of Fish and
-    Shellfish from Katrina Affected Coastal Areas
-   Participation on White House Task Force Working Group on Environmental
-    Impacts and Cleanup Subcommittee on Bio-monitoring and Sampling

## Ecosystems Restoration  

- Short-term Activities
-  Promote EPA’s restoration message:
**    ****Reconstruction PLUS Restoration for True Protection**
-   Commit EPA staff now to emerging activities (LTCR plans)
-   Build on existing EPA Region/State collaborations (CWPPRA Task Force)

## Ecosystems Restoration  

- Long-term Activities
-   Support three primary restoration themes:
-  	-  River reintroductions
- 	-  Barrier island restoration
- 	-  Pipeline sediment transfer for wetlands restoration
-   Explore funding and collaboration alternatives (private/corporate as
-    well as governmental) needed for full implementation
-   Inform/adaptively manage restoration with assessment results

## Closing Remarks

- Environmental Information Sharing across all levels of government was and remains critical
- Timeliness and Quality Assurance of Monitoring Results
- Data Standards are a good start but Agencies must adopt and implement them from Field – Lab – Analysis – Results!

## Slide 13