What is an Acute Health Risk?
Common situations that may pose an acute health risk include:
- Loss of pressure in a distribution system over a large area, such as from main breaks, power outages, or planned construction
- Detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in finished water:
- When confirmed by a repeat sample
- Upon first detection if other information suggests the water may be unsafe
- When follow-up E. coli testing is not completed after a positive total coliform result
- Natural disasters that impact treatment, distribution, or source water quality
- Cross connection or backflow incidents that can create contamination
- Other circumstances that may result in contamination of drinking water
Acute Team Process and Response
When WQCD becomes aware of a situation that may pose an acute health risk, it convenes the Acute Team. This team is made up of experienced staff from multiple sections of the Safe Drinking Water Program.
The Acute Team will:
- Contact the impacted public water system to discuss the situation
- Determine whether the situation qualifies as an acute health risk
- Decide if public notification is required and what type and methods are appropriate
- Work with the system to identify the best course of action
- Specify any additional steps needed to eliminate the health risk
All actions are taken in accordance with Colorado’s Primary Drinking Water Regulations and Safe Drinking Water Program Policy 1: Response to Acute Health Threats at Public Water Systems.
Policy 1 helps WQCD protect public health and implement the Colorado Primary Drinking Water Regulations (Regulation 11). Its purpose is to outline the WQCD’s approach to protecting drinking water consumers from acute health risks using methods such as requiring public water systems to quickly notify customers when an acute health hazard exists.
What a typical Acute Team response looks like:
1. Responding to an incident report
The Acute Team receives a report, often through the CDPHE Incident Reporting Line (1-877-518-5608), and contacts the impacted water system to gather details.
2. Evaluation of gathered information
The Acute Team reviews the information provided and determines the appropriate response, including whether a boil water or bottled water advisory and associated Tier 1 public notice are needed. Reporting an incident does not automatically result in an advisory. For small water outages, please refer to our Pressure Loss Guidance.
3. Steps to resolve the acute health risk
WQCD staff talk through the necessary actions to resolve the health risk with the water system. This may include:
- Public notice and distribution methods
- Repairing impacted portions of the treatment or distribution system
- Disinfecting and flushing the distribution system
- Identifying the number and location of follow-up samples
- Sampling to ensure the water is safe to drink
- Communicating actions taken and results to the WQCD
4. Ongoing Support
We encourage you to rely on the network of associations, non-profits, county, and state partners as you respond to and recover from acute situations:
WQCD: Acute Team remains available for questions and may check in periodically for updates. Additionally, the WQCD can review materials such as draft customer communications and sampling or flushing plans. We also offer support through our close relationship with Technical Assistance providers throughout the state, including but not limited to: WQCD Local Assistance Unit, Colorado Rural Water Association, Rural Communities Assistance Corp, Water Now Alliance, and many others.CoWARN: The Colorado Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network is a coalition of drinking water and wastewater providers, engineers, technical assistance providers, and other water sector providers. The network aims to provide assistance between members during emergencies that affect your ability to provide drinking water and/or wastewater services to your customers and communities. Membership is free to join and easy to use.Local Public Health Agencies and Emergency Managers: Working with your local public health agency is crucial to navigate an acute health risk. Many public health agencies have contacts with critical local customers (healthcare facilities, daycares, restaurants, grocery stores, etc.) and can help you coordinate communication and additional requirements for them. Local public health agencies may also support water delivery efforts and activate their emergency response teams.
5. Resolution
Once the water system has completed all required actions, the Acute Team reviews the steps taken and any sampling results. WQCD uses this information to confirm that the acute health risk has been resolved and will lift the boil or bottled water advisory.
Emergency Planning
Public water systems should prepare for the steps in this response process in advance.1. Work with partners: You have partners in a variety of state and local agencies. We highly suggest that you coordinate with them prior to an acute event to ensure fast and efficient emergency response.
- Establish contact with local authorities, public health organizations, and other local water/wastewater providers. Identify up-to-date contacts and develop a communication plan.
- Reach out to your Local Emergency Manager and Local Emergency Planning Committee to ensure your system is part of the conversation about interdependencies with other critical infrastructure suppliers. Consider attending Local Emergency Planning Committee meetings to review emergency plans and incident command structure for your local response teams.
- Coordinate with your communications team to draft potential notices and make a plan to navigate delivering tier 1 public notices.
2. Complete emergency management documents: The EPA has extensive drinking water-specific emergency management planning documents, templates, and checklists. Even if you have already completed some of these documents, please review them to ensure acute scenarios are covered.
3. Ensure you have CoWARN Access: If your system has had a CoWARN membership for decades or if you are a new member, we highly recommend that you log into the new website to ensure that you have the correct login credentials and that you are set up to activate CoWARN when the need arises.
- How to join CoWARN
- Action to take to log into new website and generate system profile
- How to activate CoWARN
- Please sign the updated Mutual Aid Agreement and submit it to the CoWARN admin - kyra.gregory@state.co.us
➽ Chelsea Cotton, Lead Drinking Water Engineer
➽ Kyra Gregory, Local Assistance Unit Manager
