Under a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), DOH set out to better understand the roles, responsibilities, and effectiveness of local, state, and federal responders to an intentional drinking water contamination event.

Assuring that Washington’s citizens receive safe and reliable drinking water is DOH’s top concern, and conducting these exercises was a great way to build partnerships among response agencies at all levels that have a stake in protecting public health during an emergency.

Three different contamination scenarios were developed that targeted medium-sized water systems. One scenario involved a hijacked tanker truck filled with cyanide pumped into a raw water source, another involved a tanker of botulism pumped into an open reservoir, and the third was a threat of contamination using ricin. The scenarios were coordinated via a "trusted agent" from each of the water systems to produce a situation that was realistic and possible.

The exercises are intended as a learning tool to train participants and acquaint them with each other’s emergency responsibilities and procedures. The exercises are also designed to demonstrate operational capabilities, validate emergency response plans, and increase effective communications between responders and support agencies.

DOH will use the exercises to identify planning weaknesses and resource gaps, improve coordination among local, state, and federal responders, clarify roles and responsibilities, and improve performance when responding to security-related types of emergencies. DOH will also use the information to explore developing new tools and training that will aid in effective, coordinated emergency response actions by water utilities, local health jurisdictions, and the state.