To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. AGENCY SPOTLIGHT EPA Tools on tap BY HANK HOGAN, IT CORRESPONDENT ITS OVERALL MANDATE MAY BE TO SAFEGUARD HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT IN THE HOMELAND SECURITY ARENA, THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) IS ALL WET—LITERALLY. THAT’S BECAUSE PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVES HAVE MADE THE EPA THE PRIMARY AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES AND REMEDIATION FOLLOWING AN ATTACK. AS A RESULT, THE EPA HAS ESTABLISHED A HOMELAND SECURITY RESEARCH PROGRAM, BUT THIS EFFORT HAS A DIFFERENT FOCUS THAN WHAT MIGHT BE EXPECTED. “EPA does not do technology development except in special circumstances,” said Jonathan Herrmann, director of the agency’s National Homeland Security Research Center. Instead, the center concentrates on the evaluation of commercial technologies, with the goal being to see if they meet the agency’s homeland security needs. This work is primarily done under the center’s Technology Test and Evaluation Program, which is designed to assess the performance of monitoring devices and decontamination techniques. The funding for these activities is part of the $7.1 billion the agency requested for FY 2009. However, Herrmann noted that the EPA will step in if no commercial technology exists. A case in point involves microbiological contamination in drinking water. Detecting such contaminants is typically done at a laboratory, which means the water has to be moved from the field to the lab without compromising any contaminants that may be present. The problem is that the contaminants are often at concentrations diluted enough so that a significant amount of water has to be transported. A test, for instance, might require a 27-gallon water sample. Such an amount is both bulky and heavy, tipping the scales at over 200 pounds. Early on in the existence of the center, which was formed in 2002, it was realized that there was need for a device to concentrate water-borne contaminants. Unfortunately, the device didn’t exist, and no company was willing to develop one. So the center’s staff undertook the task, with two researchers basing a prototype on a kidney dialysis filter. They assembled the filter and other components into a portable carrying case, spending two years refining and testing the device. Today their aptly named Water Sample PHOTO: EPA The EPA's Water Sample Concentrator prototype. Concentrator can reduce the sample volume 200- to 400-fold, turning what had been a 27-gallon sample into one that is less than two cups, with a weight of less than a pound. The device takes about an hour to concentrate and process that much water. The technology has been licensed by Teledyne Isco, an operating unit of Teledyne Technologies located in Lincoln, Neb., that specializes in instrumentation for water and wastewater sampling and flow measurement. The company is in the process of commercializing the device for some sound business reasons, Herrmann told Homeland Security Today. “The concentrator has applications beyond just those related to homeland security.” Evaluation assistance In addition to its testing and evaluation programs, another way that EPA helps protect the public water supply can be found in TEVA-SPOT, or the Threat Ensemble Vulnerability Assessment Research Program Sensor Placement Optimization Tool. That mouthful is the name for a set of software tools that enable a water utility to determine the best place to put a water quality sensor. In developing the tool, the agency worked directly with 10 water utilities. A number of others are currently evaluating their own specific use of TEVA-SPOT. There’s been considerable interest in the package from water utilities and drinking water associations, said Herrmann. The backbone of the system is EPANET, an open source standard for modeling a drinking water distribution system. Available for download from the agency’s website, EPANET allows a water utility to use the software to model its specific system, thereby discovering where to place sensors to do the most good. Current research aims to improve TEVA-SPOT based on input received from those using it. “The goal is to have a tool that can be utilized by water utilities for developing individual water contamination warning systems and improving overall water quality,” said Herrmann. The more than 17,200 people employed on either a full-time or freelance basis by the agency are involved in other homeland security related efforts, as well. Among these are standardized analytical methods, which are being created in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 9. The directive requires the development of a nationwide, interconnected network of federal and state laboratories that integrate resources. They also must use standardized analytical procedures when supporting responses to incidents. That implies a reporting component, along with the ability to search and retrieve the reports. Noting that this aspect of the agency’s homeland security efforts is managed by the operational function within the EPA’s Office of Emergency Management, Herrmann said it makes use of the latest technology. “They are requiring electronic data deliverables,” he explained. Finally, in a somewhat related vein, the agency is building an emergency management portal, which will include posting of data associated with large-scale events. The portal, which is part of EPA’s overall homeland security efforts, will not only assist in tracking and storing of the data but will also make it publicly available.With that website up and with all the other efforts by the agency, there’ll be several new safeguards for human health, the environment, and homeland security in place. HST Homeland Security Today Magazine | June 2009 Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters 19