NACWA is please to provide you with this complimentary copy of our newest publication, Protecting the Water Sector From Security Threats: The Emerging Legal and Policy Frameworks.  This new handbook is specifically designed to help clean water utilities and other members of the water sector adapt to the ever-changing security environment in the Unites States.   It was produced in cooperation with the American Public Works Association (APWA), the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF), and in association with NACWA Legal Affiliate Dewey & LeBoeuf.  Based on the 2002 NACWA security publication, Legal Issues in a Time of Crisis, the new Security Threats publication was written to reflect the many changes to the legal landscape involving security issues over the past five years, and has been expanded to include a discussion of security challenges facing drinking water utilities and public works agencies in addition to the clean water community.

Security Threats outlines the legal security issues facing the water sector from a variety of angels, including an examination of the current federal legislative framework for protecting water sector infrastructure.  It addresses the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act for drinking water facilities and federal legislation regarding vulnerability assessments for wastewater facilities, as well as examining the current state of federal requirements on chlorine storage.  The publication also details the potential for civil liability that water sector utilities might face in the event of a terrorist attack or security breach, and discusses in depth a number of recent court cases which may set important precedents regarding the responsibility and potential liability of water sector utilities to protect the public from the consequences of terrorist attacks or act of vandalism at water sector facilities.

Other topics addressed in the Security Threats publication include the legal duty that water sector employers owe to their employees in the event of a terrorist attack on a facility, and how water sector utilities should best manage sensitive information – such as plant blueprints or vulnerability assessments – that have the potential to impact the security of water resources infrastructure.  The publication also explores contract issues and insurance issues facing water and wastewater utilities as a result of the heightened security environment.

As an added feature, the publication includes a “Quick Reference Checklist” at the back.  This is a popular element from the original 2002 handbook which provides clean water managers and attorneys with a quick way to identify the major legal and security issues they need to consider for their facilities, and provides a quick reference on where to find more detailed information about a specific issue in the publication.

We hope you find Security Threats a useful publication, and encourage you to share it with those staff in your agency responsible for security planning and preparedness.  Additional electronic copies of the publication can be downloaded for free by NACWA members from the NACWA Bookstore section of the Association’s website at www.nacwa.org.  If you would like information on ordering additional hard copies of this publication, please contact Robin Davis, NACWA’s Director of Marketing and Print Management, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .