Risk and Resilience for Water and Wastewater Systems (EL262) 

Course Length: 4 Hours / 0.4 CEUs*

Course Description: This course will provide participants with an awareness-level understanding of the J100 Standard for Risk and Resilience Management of Water and Wastewater Systems (J100) and how it can be used to improve resilience at any utility, as well as support the statutory mandate for community water systems described in America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018 (P.L. 115-270).

The course will begin with an overview of the seven steps of the J100 process and then explain how to perform each step.  Participants will learn what types of output to expect from a J100 risk and resilience assessment and how to use the output to lower risk, enhance resilience and support AWIA requirements .  Attention will be given to identifying critical assets, selecting appropriate threats and hazards, and developing a manageable list of Threat – Asset Pairs.  The course will discuss the “Reference Threats” contained within J100 and also the new threat information that will be made available to utilities as a result of the AWIA.  The course will provide examples of how to calculate Consequence, Vulnerability, and Threat Likelihood to develop Risk values, and the resources that can be used to facilitate this assessment.  Once the concept of “Baseline Risk” is established, the course will explain how J100 can be used to develop strategies that lower risk, enhance resilience and achieve a positive return on investment.

Additionally, this course will help utilities understand what they should do after conducting a J100 risk and resilience assessment.  Through a phased approach, participants will learn how to develop an implementation plan that prioritizes risk mitigation activities and balances their implementation with budgetary constraints.  Finally, the course will show how the results of risk and resilience assessment can inform the development of an Emergency Response Plan.

This course consists of the following four modules:

Module 1: Overview of J100

Module 2: Developing Threat – Asset Pairs

Module 3: Defining Baseline Risks through Consequence, Vulnerability, and Threat Likelihood Analyses

Module 4: Risk and Resilience Management

Learning Objectives:

• Name the 7 steps of J100

• Understand the J100 process

• Recognize the advantages of using J100 to comply with AWIA

• Select critical assets

• Identify common threats and hazards

• Describe how to conduct preliminary screening of Threat-Asset Pairs

• Name the types of consequences that should be considered

• Recall the methods that can be used to estimate vulnerability

• Discuss the differences between estimating threat likelihood for various threat / hazard types

• Conduct an example baseline risk calculation

• Recognize mitigation measures that provide a positive Benefit/Cost Ratio

• Prioritize mitigation measures into phases

• Explain how the results of a J100 risk assessment support the development of an Emergency Response Plan

• Summarize how J100 can be used to facilitate compliance with the AWIA

*You may be awarded CEUs/PDHs for AWWA education programs by your licensing agency. AWWA grants Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for this course at a rate of 1 CEU for 10 contact hours. It is the individual's responsibility to contact the appropriate licensing agency before registering for any continuing education credit program.

This course is based on American Water Works Association (AWWA) management standards. It is not a specification. AWWA standards do not supersede or take precedence over or displace any applicable law, regulation, or codes of any governmental authority.