AWWA JAW57422

Several major developments in late 2002 provided U.S. water utilities with a strengthened federal framework for assessing and addressing vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks and updating emergency response plans as well as a measure of certainty in these uncertain times. Chief among them, and the focus of this article, are enactment of legislation creating the new Homeland Security department, implementation by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) of a protocol for ensuring the security of written copies of the vulnerability assessments (VAs) that community water systems serving more than 3,300 people must submit (along with submission instructions), and further development of related tools, training, and technologies.