EPA and Idaho National Lab Create a First-of-Its-Scale Water Security Test Bed

EPA’s Cincinnati-based Homeland Security Center Research Center has announced the construction of a new Water Security Test Bed (WSTB) at DOE’s Idaho National Lab.  The WSTB is designed to help address the gaps related to the science and engineering of decontaminating water distribution systems and safely disposing of high-volumes of contaminated water.

The WSTB replicates a section of a typical municipal drinking water system including a piping system with roughly 445 feet of pipe and two fire hydrants laid out in an “L” shape using 40-year-old, eight-inch cement mortar lined, ductile iron pipes, excavated after twenty years of use for water conveyance. Researchers built the WSTB above ground for easy access during experiments, and to facilitate fast leak detection.

Over the next several years, EPA and partner researchers will conduct experiments using simulants of various biological, chemical, and radioactive materials that simulate high toxic versions of these agents. At this “full sized” system, researchers will demonstrate approaches to contamination detection, sensor and model testing, infrastructure decontamination, water treatment and cyber testing developed at lab and pilot scale.

You may view a video that showcases the WSTB at https://youtu.be/olCs_kbegBA.  If you are interested in working with EPA researchers at the WSTB, please contact hsrp@epa.gov.  For more information on EPA’s homeland security efforts, please visit: http://www2.epa.gov/homeland-security…