HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-04-2007 South Bend joins launch of water disaster network o�sou TH
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Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
4:30 pm
South Bend joins launch of water disaster network
Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications&Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-
1564, or John Wiltrout, Director of Water Works Distribution, 235-9484
The City of South Bend's Utilities was one of three Indiana utilities to pioneer this week
in the launch of a new network that will allow utilities to help restore water and other
services during disasters, whether natural or manmade.
Launched Aug. 29 on the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall on the Gulf
coast, the Indiana Water Agency Response Network, or InWARN, began with South
Bend's Public Works, Valparaiso City Utilities and Veolia Indianapolis Water. But John
Wiltrout, director of Water Works distribution, who represented the city at Wednesday's
announcement at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, expects many of Indiana's more than
4,000 water utilities to join later.
"It's going to be a network of utilities helping utilities," said Wiltrout, who will work to
recruit additional utilities in the northern part of the state. "All the front-end work is done
—liability, insurance,taking care of anything like that. That makes it easier for people to
move."
Indiana became the 10th state to officially form a Water Agency Response Network,
although as many as 15 other states have WARN programs already in place or
agreements pending, according to the American Water Works Association.
"The City of South Bend is proud to be an environmental leader with our water works
and wastewater treatment utilities, which puts us in a position to respond in the event of
disasters," said Gary Gilot, director of public works. "With this agreement, South Bend
will be better prepared to respond to others' needs or request assistance if a tragedy
strikes us."
The mutual aid agreement between the municipalities outlines procedures,
responsibilities, reimbursable expenses, legal requirements and resolution processes for
damaged and responding utilities. The agreement was drafted by a steering committee of
the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns and grew out of the National Incident
Management System, a standardized operational protocol first used in 1992 in response
to California mudslides, according to Wiltrout.
Many communities, including South Bend, have a"handshake"that might exist with
another municipality in the event of problems. For example, South Bend and Mishawaka
have had two inter-connecting water pipes between their water systems for 10 years, but
they have never needed to be used. "It's just a matter of a couple of valves opening, and
we could supply water to Mishawaka or they could supply water to us," Wiltrout said.
InWARN takes such agreements to the next level. "This is a formalized handshake,"he
said.
In the event of floods, tornadoes, earthquakes along the New Madrid fault, widespread
illness that decimates a utilities' staff of highly trained specialists or terrorist sabotage,
personnel and equipment can be mobilized to respond.
Large cities "would probably be the ones helping others because of our size and the
assets we have," Wiltrout said. "An operator here that's similarly certified in South Bend
can go into another plant and recognize what ... needs to be done."
But Wiltrout said this "good community outreach" also will provide peace of mind for
South Bend crews in the event of unforeseen trouble locally.
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