Helping Clients Plan for Emergency Responses

Ryan Kennerly, PE, and Landon Allen, PE, are civil engineers in Parkhill’s Water Resources Discipline. Kennerly’s expertise includes elevated and ground storage reservoirs, irrigation wells, transmission piping, lift stations, and sewer systems. His experience has also involved updating aging or ineffective infrastructure. Allen’s project experience includes the rehabilitation of ground and elevated storage tanks, existing potable water supply systems, and existing transmission systems. He also has experience in the operation and expansion of current wellfield systems, new water transmission lines, and coating projects for water storage tanks. If your community is in need of these services, contact Ryan Kennerly at [email protected] or Landon Allen at [email protected].  

In 2018, the American Water Works Association enacted America’s Water Infrastructure Act requiring water utilities that serve populations greater than 3,300 people to comply by putting together a Risk & Resilience Assessment and Emergency Response Plan. These are required to be completed and submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency for certification by the dates in the table shown below: 



In the assessment, various “critical” assets within the water system, such as tanks, pipelines, treatment sites, and pump stations, are paired with applicable threats such as natural hazards (tornadoes, droughts, etc.) and malevolent acts (cyberattacks, contamination of water sources, etc.). Water facilities that, when compromised, can lead to prolonged service interruption, injuries/fatalities, or result in detrimental economic impact are deemed critical and will be analyzed.   

The response plan then implements strategies and resources to improve the resilience of certain critical threat-asset pairs that are highlighted within the assessment. Existing or potential countermeasures are evaluated in the report, such as increased cyber and physical security or having emergency equipment on hand to lessen the impact of a specified malevolent act or natural hazard.   

Parkhill has assisted several clients in putting these mandated reports together, including the City of Midland, Midland County Fresh Water Supply District, Muleshoe, and the West Central Texas Municipal Water District. We are also currently working to put these together for the City of Lamesa, Dimmit, Borger, Hereford, Guymon, and Sherman. We look forward to helping these communities not only achieve compliance but to provide a cost-efficient, relevant document for them to use.