Natural Disaster Preparedness Risk Assessment Technical Assistance for Water Sector Utilities

Through EPA’s CRWU initiative, drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater (water sector) utility owners and operators will receive one-on-one, no-cost natural disaster preparedness risk assessment support using CRWU’s tools and resources, including our Resilient Strategies Guide, Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool and Climate and Weather Data Maps.

Over the course of two to four months, water sector utilities will be guided through a risk assessment process to:

• Better understand their potential risk to natural disaster preparedness threats;
• Identify potential adaptive measures to become more resilient to those threats; and
• Identify potential funding sources for implementation of those potential adaptive measures.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does CRWU assess natural disaster preparedness risk? 

• The technical assistance process comprises a team of experts who utilize online CRWU tools, including the Resilient Strategies Guide and Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool, to assist utility stakeholders with adaptation planning and monetized risk assessment. CRWU’s suite of Climate and Weather Data Maps, may also be referenced as necessary.

What is required from utilities?

• Utilities are typically asked to provide a lead contact that spends a maximum of 35 to 40 hours participating in webinars and coordinating the scheduling of working sessions. Additional staff and utility experts, such as hydrology modelers, engineers, and treatment plant managers, may spend 5 to 15 hours collecting data and providing feedback on meeting notes, as well as their final report and case study. The entire technical assistance process takes, on average, two to four months, depending on the frequency of meetings and availability of utility staff and local partners.

Who can participate in the process?

• The process is open to utilities and any partners the staff deems helpful to the assessment. EPA’s CRWU team and contractor support team will coordinate and facilitate meetings, as well as provide subject matter expertise, such as engineering and natural disaster preparedness support. To support any broader utility goals for the assessment, additional contacts may be invited to participate or observe, such as EPA regional staff, national or regional environmental finance centers, and federal and state funding program contacts.

What are the outcomes of the process?

• At the conclusion of the assessment, the utility will receive a final report detailing the findings of the risk assessment conducted for its use. EPA asks partners to share their story through a one-to-two-page case-study for the Adaptation Case Studies Map. The community receiving support maintains the final edits to the report and case-study. Any potential concerns can be discussed once selected.

Are there any case study examples from other utilities? 

• To see what other utilities have already completed a natural disaster preparedness risk assessment with CRWU, visit our Adaptation Case Studies Map.