Water Security

EPA has a responsibility to improve the ability of water utilities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to water contamination that threatens public health. Disasters, whether human-made or naturally occurring, can impact the ability of water and wastewater utilities to function, including the potential disruption of drinking water supplies to municipalities.

To support disaster preparedness, EPA develops modeling tools that aid the design and operation of water and wastewater systems in a way that decreases their vulnerability to disasters.

Research Topics

Drinking water distribution systems, household plumbing, and appliances are increasingly vulnerable to interruption in service from a terrorist attack, an industrial accident, an extreme weather event, and aging water infrastructure. EPA’s research has developed tools and technologies to assist water infrastructure systems in identifying, evaluating, and improving their resilience to human-made or natural disasters, whether by changing operations or by redesigning and retrofitting the infrastructure. These system-specific tools need to be tested and adapted to be applicable for wastewater, stormwater, source water, and water reuse applications.