EPA's Water Security Test Bed
Citation:
Goodrich, J., Jeff Szabo, J. Hall, AND H. Ernst. EPA's Water Security Test Bed. U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, EPA/600/S-17/132, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
Advancing the science and engineering of decontaminating pipe systems and of safely disposing of high-volumes of contaminated water are high priorities for the EPA. The Agency homeland security researchers developed the first-of-its-scale water security test bed (WSTB). The test bed, constructed at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL), replicates a section of a typical municipal drinking water piping system with roughly 450 feet of pipe and two fire hydrants laid out in an “L” shape. T. The purpose of conducting research at the WSTB facility is to evaluate infrastructure decontamination technologies previously tested by the EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP) at the bench-and pilot-scale. Using this simulated full-scale distribution system allows for injection of contaminants that cannot be tested in operating municipal water facilities. HSRP researchers can then evaluate decontamination methodologies to determine those that are best suited for use by water utilities. Effective management of contaminated water (from clearwells, the distribution system, or contaminated water from indoor and outdoor remediation activities) is needed to improve emergency response, shorten response time, and improve preparedness. These studies can also inform acceptance of such waters by water resource and recovery facilities (e.g., wastewater treatment facilities). Research at the facility can also support cyber security defense and mitigation approaches for water infrastructure operational technology. This document provide an updated summary of the completed research and planned future experiments at the Water Security Test Bed.
Description:
Technical Brief