America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) – Section 2013
Water systems serving a population of 3,301-49,999 (including satellite customers) must complete a Risk and Resilience Assessment (RRA) by June 30, 2021 and an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) by December 30, 2021 or six months after they submit their RRA, whichever comes first.
AWIA does not require the use of any standards, methods or tools for the RRA or ERP. However, to comply with the federal law water systems must evaluate six required elements in their RRA:
- Risk to the system from malevolent acts and natural hazards;
- Resilience of the pipes and constructed conveyances, physical barriers, source water, water collection and intake, pretreatment, treatment, storage and distribution facilities, electronic, computer, or other automated systems (including the security of such systems) which are utilized by the system;
- The monitoring practices of the system;
- The financial infrastructure of the system;
- The use, storage, or handling of various chemicals by the system; and
- the operation and maintenance of the system.
Additionally, to further comply with the federal law, water systems must address four elements in their ERP:
- Strategies and resources to improve the resilience of the system, including the physical security and cybersecurity of the system;
- Plans and procedures that can be implemented, and identification of equipment that can be utilized, in the event of a malevolent act or natural hazard that threatens the ability of the community water system to deliver safe drinking water;
- Actions, procedures and equipment which can obviate or significantly lessen the impact of a malevolent act or natural hazard on the public health and the safety and supply of drinking water provided to communities and individuals, including the development of alternative source water options, relocation of water intakes and construction of flood protection barriers; and
- Strategies that can be used to aid in the detection of malevolent acts or natural hazards that threaten the security or resilience of the system.
To assist water systems in Illinois comply with these requirements, the IRWA has developed the following templates (in either Microsoft Word or Excel formats):
RRA Template Word
RRA Template Excel
ERP Template Word
ERP Template Excel
Upon completing the RRA and the ERP, you must submit a certification of completion to the U.S. EPA (not Illinois EPA). Currently, the U.S. EPA has provided three certification options for both the RRA and ERP: 1) regular mail; 2) email; or 3) secure online portal. Please be aware that the use of the online portal is the only method provided where you will receive acknowledgement that the federal government has received your certification. Follow the links below for additional information on certification:
For more information on RRA and ERP see the U.S. EPA website at:
Risk and Resilience Assessments and Emergency Response Plans (epa.gov)
Illinois Rural Water Association
3305 Kennedy Road; PO Box 49
Taylorville, IL 62568
Phone: 217-287-2115
Fax: 217-824-8638
Email: ilrwa@ilrwa.org
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