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Pacific Northwest Water and Wastewater Security Workshop Facilitated Tabletop Discussion

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Marianne Deppman and Beth Sheldrake. EPA Region 10. Facilitators. Agenda. Introduction of panelists and overview of goals and ground rules (5 min) ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Pacific Northwest Water and Wastewater Security Workshop Facilitated Tabletop Discussion


1
Pacific Northwest Water and Wastewater Security
Workshop - Facilitated Tabletop Discussion
  • Marianne Deppman and Beth Sheldrake
  • EPA Region 10
  • Facilitators

2
Agenda
  • Introduction of panelists and overview of goals
    and ground rules (5 min)
  • Scenario phase I (25 min)
  • Scenario phase II (35 min)
  • Scenario phase III (25 min)
  • Wrap-up (5 min)

3
Panelists
  • State
  • Scott Decker - WA Dept of Health
  • Sgt Wesley Stockwell - WA State Patrol
  • XXXX - WA Dept of Ecology
  • Joe Huden - WA National Guard
  • Federal
  • Karen Larsen - ATSDR
  • Gene Taylor - EPA Office of Water
  • Michael Szerlog - EPA Emergency Response
  • Local
  • Tom Peadon - Coal Creek Utility District
  • Jim Hendrikson - Seattle/King Co. Public Health
  • Shad Burcham - King Co. Emergency Management
  • Mike Todd - Seattle Fire, HAZMAT

4
Goals of Tabletop
  • Using a scenario based on a potential drinking
    water contamination incident and drawing upon the
    information gained throughout the last day and a
    half, explore the interactions among water
    providers and various local, state, and federal
    health, response, emergency management,
    environmental, and law enforcement agencies.
  • Identify gaps in planning or preparedness based
    on the scenario presented.

5
Ground Rules
  • Policies, procedures, and available resources
    will vary from community to community
  • Panelists will be asked speak to how things would
    work in their community/jurisdiction
  • Audience will be given the opportunity to quickly
    share experiences from other communities
  • Discussions should focus on policy, procedures,
    communication, and coordination, not tactical or
    technical issues

6
Phase I
  • Late afternoon on Wednesday, March 12th, fifteen
    citizens from the Bellevue, Newport Hills area
    east of Seattle report to a local hospital
  • Symptoms include severe gastrointestinal pain,
    nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and anxiety
  • Most are released, but two young children
    experience convulsions and are listed in critical
    condition
  • Hospital officials suspect ingestion of a foreign
    substance, but have not isolated a cause
  • Hospital officials notify local health
    authorities regarding a potential abnormal
    disease cluster

7
Coal Creek Utility District
Seattle
8
Objectives of Phase I
  • Explore how initial information regarding a
    potential disease cluster is evaluated at the
    local level.
  • Examine what actions local authorities may take
    in response.

9
Phase II
  • Approximately 12 hours after the initial cases
    are reported, 30 additional citizens from the
    Bellevue, Newport Hills area report to the
    hospital with similar symptoms.
  • One child from the previous day has died of
    apparent heart failure.
  • The press has picked up on the unusually high
    number of cases of an unknown disease with
    similar symptoms.
  • Citizens are becoming increasingly concerned
    about this apparent epidemic and are demanding
    answers.

10
Phase II (cont.)
  • Several days later, 10 citizens from the
    Newcastle area also report to the same hospital
    complaining of similar symptoms.
  • Citizens from throughout the area are now
    reporting flu-like symptoms and there is a large
    demand for answers.

11
Phase II (cont.)
  • Public health officials have begun to recognize
    the symptoms as possibly relating to a chemical
    poisoning and the likely route of exposure is
    ingestion.
  • Public health officials are interviewing victims
    regarding their activities over the last several
    days.
  • Some members of the public are beginning to
    demand that their drinking water supply be tested.

12
Objective of Phase II
  • Explore the responses of local, state, and
    federal agencies to an apparent intentional
    chemical poisoning of a segment of the population.

13
Phase III
  • Six days after the initial outbreak, local law
    enforcement receives a tip regarding suspicious
    activities in a home the Newport Hills area.
  • When local law enforcement arrive at the scene,
    they discover remnants of equipment and chemicals
    used for injection of sodium fluoroacetate, a
    rodenticide occasionally used in the west for the
    control of rabbits, squirrels, and other small
    rodents into the water system.

14
Phase III (cont.)
  • It is determined that the renters of the house,
    who have since vacated the house, are linked to a
    known terrorist group.
  • The house and parts of the surrounding area are
    now considered a crime scene.
  • It is reported that the FBI has credible
    information that this group has other cells in
    the Pacific Northwest.

15
Phase III (cont.)
  • Illnesses and contamination of the water supply
    system in the south Bellevue/Renton area is
    widely reported in the media, both locally and
    nationally.
  • Citizens from all over the country are demanding
    to know how this could have happened and how it
    may be prevented in the future.

16
Objective for Phase III
  • Examine the interactions among water managers,
    health agencies, traditional responders, and
    law enforcement in addressing this situation.
  • Discuss vulnerabilities in public water systems
    and how they may be minimized.
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