Wisconsin Emergency Response
Drinking Water Collection Kit Information

Description of the Wisconsin Emergency Response
Drinking Water Collection Kit

Purpose of the Wisconsin Emergency Response Drinking Water Collection Kit

• Use for emergency drinking water sampling events only
• Use after a “credible” threat has been determined by local partners
• Collect water to test for “unknown” biological, chemical and radiological agents
• Designed to be simple and safe to use by sample collectors who may include water utility operators, staff from local health departments or state agencies, regional HazMat teams, or the Wisconsin Civil Support Team
• Provide quality data
• Require little work to maintain

Wisconsin Emergency Response Drinking Water Collection Kit Contents

• Water collection instructions
• Limited personal protective equipment
• Containers for biological, chemical and radiological water analysis
• Sample submittal/chain of custody form
• Markers and pens
• Evidence tape

Wisconsin Emergency Response Drinking Water Collection Kit Locations

• 206 kits located throughout the state
• Locations include the water utilities of the county seats and/or water utilities serving > 3300 people, tribal offices, some local health departments and offices of the Wisconsin Rural Water Association
• Locations also include regional offices of the Wisconsin departments of Natural Resources, Emergency Management, and Health and Family Services; and the 54th Civil Support Team

Prepared by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene in collaboration with the following partners:

• Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources, Health and Family Services, Emergency Management, Justice-Crime Lab, UW Vet Diagnostics, and Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
  
• Milwaukee Water Utility, Milwaukee Health Department, the Wisconsin Rural Water Association, and regional HazMat teams

Map of Locations of the Wisconsin Emergency Response
Drinking Water Collection Kits

The kits are placed at municipal drinking water utilities in the county seat, municipal drinking water utilities serving over 3300 people, regional public health offices, Wisconsin Emergency Management regional offices, DNR regional offices, tribal offices, the Wisconsin 54 th Civil Support Team, and Wisconsin Rural Water Association locations. It is the expectation of the workgroup and those storing a kit that the kits would be available to all drinking water systems in the state if an emergency arises.

Map Updated: November 2005

Drinking Water Contamination Emergency Response Guide Flowchart

The Drinking Water Contamination Emergency Response Guide flowchart has space to record the location of the nearest emergency drinking water collection kit and contact information for local agencies that will assist in a response to intentional contamination.

These fields should be completed by the water utility operator. The Department of Natural Resources asks that the flowchart be included in the water utility's emergency response plan or other appropriate location.

In the event of an intentional drinking water contamination event at a water utility the following steps should be followed (summarized in the attached flowchart):

• Work with local agencies and first responders to determine if the threat is possible
• Implement any immediate operational responses
• In conjunction with state and local agencies, determine whether sampling and sample analysis is needed
• Obtain an emergency drinking water collection kit from the nearest storage location
• Given the hazards apparent in the given situation, determine who will sample the water
• Follow the instructions included in the kit for filling the bottles
• Deliver the kit to the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene in Madison
• Results of the analysis will go to the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Health and Family Services, and the community's Health Officer
• Determine and implement further public health response actions, and
• Recover and return the water system to normal operation.
  

Printable Version of the Drinking Water Contamination Response Guide Flowchart (PDF, 68 Kb)

Instructions for Filling Sample Bottles of the Wisconsin Emergency Response Drinking Water Collection Kit (PDF, 225 Kb)

For more information contact:
David Degenhardt - 608-224-6270 or davidd@mail.slh.wisc.edu, Al Spallato - 608-224-6273 or spallato@mail.slh.wisc.edu or Steven Elmore - 608-264-9246 or steve.elmore@dnr.state.wi.us.