Open AccessLinking Public Health and Water Utilities to Improve Emergency Response
Author(s) -
Gelting R. J.,
Miller M.D.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of contemporary water research and education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1936-704X
pISSN - 1936-7031
DOI - 10.1111/j.1936-704x.2004.mp129001006.x
Subject(s) - emergency response , public health , disaster response , environmental planning , business , emergency management , environmental science , environmental resource management , water resource management , medical emergency , economics , medicine , nursing , economic growth
Intentional contamination of a drinking water system may be discovered in several ways. If the potential contamination is unannounced or covert, its first indications might be detected by the water utility operating the system or by the public health system. In contrast, if a terrorist group announces a contamination event (or the threat of one), water utilities and the health-care system both may learn about the event simultaneously through such channels as mass media. Various other scenarios are also possible, such as a threat being telephoned to a water utility. In all of these scenarios, water utilities and the public health system must work together to respond to real or threatened contamination of drinking water supplies.