County utilities update emergency-response plan and rapid-response guide under America's Water Infrastructure Act

Indian River County utilities staff and consultant Arcadis presented updated risk-and-resilience documentation and an emergency response plan required under the America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA). Howard Richards, manager of capital projects for Utilities, told the board the county originally certified its risk-and-resilience assessment with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2020 and that EPA requires an update and recertification every five years.

Arcadis and utilities staff completed an updated Risk and Resilience Assessment and an expanded Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and produced a shorter rapid-response guide intended to give on-the-ground staff quick access to key contacts, maps and incident-specific procedures. Consultants and county staff conducted a tabletop exercise simulating a hurricane with a concurrent hazmat release to test procedures, identify gaps and produce an after-action report; staff said lessons learned were incorporated into the final ERP and guide.

The ERP documents described in the presentation include system descriptions and asset inventories, roles and responsibilities for activation and recovery, monitoring and incident-specific response procedures for hazards identified in the risk assessment, and appendices listing equipment, generator capacities and recovery-phase actions. Staff said the final documents were tailored using extensive input from utility operations and emergency services personnel.

Following the presentation the board voted to accept and certify the updated materials. County staff said they will continue to exercise and refine the plans and provide follow-up reporting as required under AWIA and EPA guidance.