EPA Publishes New Guidance for Utilities on Building Lab Capabilities

EPA’s Water Security Division has just posted a fact sheet to summarize what water utilities need to know in the event of a suspected contamination incident.  On a single page, the fact sheet outlines appropriate considerations and lays out the steps for building laboratory response capabilities.  Download the fact sheet.

The fact sheet summarizes information contained in the larger lab capabilities guidance document titled Water Security Initiative: Guidance for Building Laboratory Capabilities to Respond to Drinking Water Contamination Overview.   As the fact sheet states, “If water contamination is suspected, sampling and analysis is one of the earliest utility-led response actions. Sampling and analysis includes field investigation, site safety screening, water quality parameter analyses, rapid field testing, sample collection, and laboratory analyses to confirm or rule out contamination.”  Download the guidance.

Please share these materials with your water utilities and encourage them to take necessary steps to be better prepared in the event of a water contamination incident.