Download the NC Drinking Water Incident Response Toolkit Online
When drinking water systems fail or water becomes unsafe, communities may be left unprepared. Incidents such as floods, infrastructure failures, or contaminations may create real or perceived threats to the safety of drinking water. To help with preparedness, the North Carolina Drinking Water Incident Response Toolkit assists local governments to be ready for and respond to drinking water incidents.
The Toolkit was developed by the 22-member Drinking Water Working Group (DWWG) in partnership with the School of Government. The final product is a succinct, downloadable resource that is specific to North Carolina’s needs. On July 16, 2019, the ncIMPACT Initiative launched the North Carolina Drinking Water Incident Response Toolkit online and presented a webinar introducing the toolkit.
It includes a guide for pre-incident planning, customizable tools for local governments, information on mutual aid, communication tools, essential information on drinking water and its regulation, and an appendix of additional resources. One highlight from the toolkit is the section on pre-incident planning.
Since any community can be vulnerable to a drinking water incident, this guide is designed to help local governments be as prepared as possible to respond if and when incidents occur. The guide is based on the principles that preparation is crucial, inclusive, collaborative, and considerate of varying needs specific to certain communities.
The ncIMPACT Initiative and School of Government convened and staffed the Working Group with support from a grant from the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory. The Group guided development of this toolkit and resources based on their commitment to preparing local communities to effectively respond to drinking water incidents. The School is grateful to the membership of the working group for their time and expertise.
For more information, please contact:
Jill Moore, Associate Professor, UNC School of Government moore@sog.unc.edu
Emily Gangi, Policy Engagement Director, ncIMPACT Initiative emily.gangi@unc.edu
