CDC Releases Updated Emergency Water Supply Planning Guide for Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities

As part of its work on water preparedness and response the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides an array of water advisory planning resources and case studies. These resources and case studies are useful for a broad range of stakeholders in the drinking water community. CDC recently updated its Emergency Water Supply Planning Guide for Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities. This update of the 2012 version (ASDWA’s Executive Director was one of the co-authors of the 2012 version in his previous role at AWWA) provides additional web functionality and links to additional resources. Water service to hospitals and healthcare facilities can potentially be interrupted from a variety of events ranging from a large water main break to a variety of weather events and such facilities need to be prepared for full and/or partial interruptions.

Another useful CDC resource is the Drinking Water Advisory Communication Toolbox (DWACT). The DWACT was updated in 2016 and is a useful tool for water systems and state and local agencies on preparing and responding to a range of drinking water advisories.