Water risks and security are a major global hazard in the 21st century and it is essential that water professionals have a solid grounding in the principles of preventative risk management. This second edition of the key textbook, Risk Management for Water and Wastewater Utilities, extends beyond first principles and examines the practicalities of resilience and vulnerability assessment, strategic risk appraisal and the interconnectedness of water utility risks in a networked infrastructure. It provides an up-dated overview of tools and techniques for risk management in the context of the heightened expectations for sound risk governance that are being made of all water and wastewater utilities. Risk Management for Water and Wastewater Utilities provides a valuable starting point for newly appointed risk managers in the utility sector and offers MSc level self-paced study with self-assessment questions and abbreviated answers, key learning points, case studies and worked examples.

Water and wastewater utility managers will find expert guidance on all issues regarding security and emergency preparedness and response in this book. The terrorist attacks on the US of Sept. 11, 2001, as well as destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, brought heightened concern over the security and emergency preparedness of America's water supply infrastructure--concerns which remain high to this day.

Each year more than 200 million people are affected by floods, tropical storms, droughts, earthquakes, and also operational failures, wars, terrorism, vandalism, and accidents involving hazardous materials. These are part of the wide variety of events that cause death, injury, and significant economic losses for the countries affected. In an environment where natural hazards are present, local actions are decisive in all stages of risk management: in the work of prevention and mitigation, in rehabilitation and reconstruction, and above all in emergency response and the provision of basic services to the affected population. Commitment to systematic vulnerability reduction is crucial to ensure the resilience of communities and populations to the impact of natural and manmade hazards. Current challenges for the water and sanitation sector require an increase in sustainable access to water and sanitation services in residential areas, where natural hazards pose the greatest risk. In settlements located on unstable and risk-prone land there is growing environmental degradation coupled with extreme conditions of poverty that increase vulnerability. The development of local capacity and risk management play vital roles in obtaining sustainability of water and sanitation systems as well as for the communities themselves. Unfortunately water may also represent a potential target for terrorist activity or war conflict and a deliberate contamination of water is a potential public health threat. An approach which considers the needs of communities and institutions is particularly important in urban areas affected by armed conflict. Risk management for large rehabilitation projects has to deal with major changes caused by conflict: damaged or destroyed infrastructure, increased population, corrupt or inefficient water utilities, and impoverished communities. Water supply and sanitation are amongst the first considerations in disaster response. The greatest water-borne risk to health in most emergencies is the transmission of faecal pathogens, due to inadequate sanitation, hygiene and protection of water sources. However, some disasters, including those involving damage to chemical and nuclear industrial installations, or involving volcanic activity, may create acute problems from chemical or radiological water pollution. Sanitation includes safe excreta disposal, drainage of wastewater and rainwater, solid waste disposal and vector control. This book is based on the discussions and papers prepared for the NATO Advanced Research Workshop that took place in Ohrid, Macedonia under the auspices of the NATO Security Through Science Programme and addressed problems Risk management of water supply and sanitation systems impaired by operational failures, natural disasters and war conflicts. The main purpose of the workshop was to critically assess the existing knowledge on Risk management of water supply and sanitation systems, with respect to diverse conditions in participating countries, and promote close co-operation among scientists with different professional experience from different countries. The ARW technical program comprised papers on 4 topics, : (a) Vulnerability of Wastewater and Sanitation Systems, (b) Vulnerability of Drinking Water Systems, (c) Emergency response plans, and (d) Case studies from regions affected by Drinking Water System, Wastewater and Sanitation System failures.

In 2004, the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality recommended that water suppliers develop and implement "Water Safety Plans" (WSPs) in order to systematically assess and manage risks. Since this time, governments and regulators, water suppliers and practitioners have increasingly embraced this approach, but they have also requested further guidance. This much-anticipated workbook answers this call by describing how to develop and implement a WSP in clear and practical terms. Stepwise advice is provided through 11 learning modules, each representing a key step in the WSP development and implementation process: 1. Assemble the WSP team; 2. Describe the water supply system; 3. Identify hazards and hazardous events and assess the risks; 4. Determine and validate control measures, reassess and prioritise the risks; 5. Develop, implement and maintain an improvement/upgrade plan; 6. Define monitoring of the control measures; 7. Verify the effectiveness of the WSP; 8. Prepare management procedures; 9. Develop supporting programmes; 10. Plan and carry out periodic review of the WSP; 11. Revise the WSP following an incident ; Every Module is divided into three sections: 'Overview', 'Examples and Tools', and 'Case studies'. The overview section provides a brief introduction to the Module, including why it is important and how it fits into the overall WSP development and implementation process. It outlines key activities that should be carried out, lists typical challenges that may be encountered, and summarizes the essential outputs to be produced. The examples and tools section provides resources which could be adapted to support the development and implementation of WSPs. These resources include example tables and checklists, template forms, diagrams, or practical tips to help a WSP team address specific challenges. These are often example outputs and methodologies adapted from recent WSP experiences. Each Module concludes with case studies so the reader can benefit from lessons-learned from real-life experiences. They are intended to make WSP concepts more concrete and to help readers anticipate issues and challenges that may arise. The descriptions were drawn from WSP initiatives in Australia, the Latin American and the Caribbean region (LAC), and the United Kingdom.

Real risk management is predicated on the eventuality of human erraticism and therefore necessitates the design of resilient systems, such as control measures, policies, procedures, processes, rules, checklists, and protocols, to protect organizations against unpredictability. However, these systems aren't enough to prevent tragedies, they must be paired with an organizational culture that drives employee understanding, adherence, questioning, and enforcement of these systems. Success is conditioned on this interdependent relationship, meaning employees do the right thing, the right way every time, as they unequivocally support the underlying rationale of their organizational systems, mission, and purpose. This dynamic, inculcated way of thinking is intrinsic to high-reliability organizations and should be the aspiration of all executives, managers, and supervisors. Authors Gordon Graham and Paul Fuller impart a wide range of practical information on resilient systems- as these thoughtfully designed protocols, kept up-to-date and properly implemented, serve to minimize organizational risk in the water and wastewater industry. Features: Offers guidance for organizations to maximize service, enhance safety, and minimize liability. Presents fundamental background on risk, systems, risk management, as well as factors leading to industrial tragedies and how to avoid or mitigate them. Includes practical examples to demonstrate the necessary steps to transform a water facility into a highly reliable and safe organization. Centering on organizational risk management, Practitioner's Handbook of Risk Management for Water & Wastewater Systems provides the investigative tools for risk assessments and risk/frequency matrixes to effectively recognize and prioritize the thousands of risks facing professionals working in the water and wastewater industry today.

Water and Wastewater companies operating all around the world have faced rising asset management and replacement costs, often to levels that are financially unsustainable. Management of investment needs, while meeting regulatory and other goals, has required: A better understanding of what customers demand from the services they pay for, and the extent to which they are willing to pay for improvements or be compensated for a reduction in performance Development of models to predict asset failure and to identify and concentrate investment on critical assets Improved management systems Improved accounting for costs and benefits and their incorporation within an appropriate cost-benefit framework Incorporation of risk management techniques Utilisation of advanced maintenance techniques including new rehabilitation failure detection technologies Enhancements in pipeline materials, technologies and laying techniques. These papers developed from LESAM 2007 for inclusion in Strategic Asset Management of Water Supply and Wastewater Infrastructures are focused on the techniques, technologies and management approaches aiming at optimising the investment in infrastructure while achieving demanded customer service standards, and they provide an opportunity to gain access to the latest discussion and developments at the leading-edge in this field. This book will be essential reading for utility operators and managers, regulators and consultants.

Expanding water reuse-the use of treated wastewater for beneficial purposes including irrigation, industrial uses, and drinking water augmentation-could significantly increase the nation's total available water resources. Water Reuse presents a portfolio of treatment options available to mitigate water quality issues in reclaimed water along with new analysis suggesting that the risk of exposure to certain microbial and chemical contaminants from drinking reclaimed water does not appear to be any higher than the risk experienced in at least some current drinking water treatment systems, and may be orders of magnitude lower. This report recommends adjustments to the federal regulatory framework that could enhance public health protection for both planned and unplanned (or de facto) reuse and increase public confidence in water reuse.

The brand new manual provides step-by-step guidance to determine revenue requirements, analyze rates, develop a financial plan, and design a better rate structure -- even with limited resources and data. Written for small water systems (defined as serving a population of up to 10,000) it focuses on the unique attributes of small systems as related to financial planning and rate design, with the understanding that most data is contained in the current customer billing system, and merely needs to be massaged. With details plus a sample case study, it helps develop a rate structure that emphasizes simplicity and ease of billing, while at the same time recognizes cost recovery and equitability. Also covered are communications with the public, which is integral to a successful rate restructuring, regulatory approval, system development funding, and rate phase-in.

Floods are of increasing public concern world-wide due to increasing damages and unacceptably high numbers of injuries. Previous approaches of flood protection led to limited success especially during recent extreme events. Therefore, an integrated flood risk management is required which takes into consideration both the hydrometeorogical and the societal processes. Moreover, real effects of risk mitigation measures have to be critically assessed. The book draws a comprehensive picture of all these aspects and their interrelations. It furthermore provides a lot of detail on earth observation, flood hazard modelling, climate change, flood forecasting, modelling vulnerability, mitigation measures and the various dimensions of management strategies. In addition to local and regional results of science, engineering and social science investigations on modelling and management, transboundary co-operation of large river catchments are of interest. Based on this, the book is a valuable source of the state of the art in flood risk management but also covers future demands for research and practice in terms of flood issues.

In the quest to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of water and wastewater services, many communities in the United States are exploring the potential advantages of privatization of those services. Unlike other utility services, local governments have generally assumed responsibility for providing water services. Privatization of such services can include the outright sale of system assets, or various forms of public-private partnershipsâ€"from the simple provision of supplies and services, to private design construction and operation of treatment plants and distribution systems. Many factors are contributing to the growing interest in the privatization of water services. Higher operating costs, more stringent federal water quality and waste effluent standards, greater customer demands for quality and reliability, and an aging water delivery and wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure are all challenging municipalities that may be short of funds or technical capabilities. For municipalities with limited capacities to meet these challenges, privatization can be a viable alternative. Privatization of Water Services evaluates the fiscal and policy implications of privatization, scenarios in which privatization works best, and the efficiencies that may be gained by contracting with private water utilities.