Emergency Resources for Public Water and Wastewater Systems

In the event of a system failure, fire, flood or other emergency, what group is free for a water or wastewater utility to join, and has the potential to provide significant resources for those same utilities? Arizona Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network also known as "AZWARN." AZWARN is a voluntary mutual aid and assistance program that participating municipal utilities can use to obtain timely and comprehensive assistance during emergencies. When a municipality runs out of immediate and contracted resources to support their utility, there is a significant pool of equipment and staff that may be available through other agencies via the AZWARN agreement. Water and wastewater utilities are best suited to assist with the properly credentialed personnel and appropriate specialized equipment needed by another utility.

AZWARN currently has 20 members within Arizona. In fact, participating members serve over 70 percent of water users in Arizona. Members include large utilities in the Phoenix and Tucson areas as well as smaller ones throughout Arizona. There are a number of the League's members who are also AZWARN members. Arizona joins 48 other states in having a "WARN" network, which is closely supported by many agencies on a national, state and local level; such as the Environmental Protection Agency, State and Local Emergency Managers (ADEM), Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, AZ WATER Association, American Water Works Association, Water and Environment Federation and more.

For information on joining the AZWARN network, please see the website at: www.azwarn.org or contact info@azwarn.org, Steve Shepard (Chairperson), or Jean Voelkel (Membership Committee) at: (520) 724-6561 jean.voelkel@pima.gov.
 

League of Arizona Cities and Towns
1820 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ  85007
Phone: 602-258-5786
Fax: 602-253-3874
http://www.azleague.org

If you have ideas for this newsletter or encounter difficulty reading this email,
please contact Samantha Womer at swomer@azleague.org with your concerns.