Fostering Advances in Water Resource Protection and Crisis Communications, Lessons Learned from Recent Disasters

University Of Utah, Salt Lake City UT

Investigators

Abstract

1523448 Weidhaas Title: Fostering Advances in Water Resource Protection and Crisis Communications, Lessons Learned from Recent Disasters Ensuring supplies of clean water is a grand challenge for science and engineering. Despite increasing focus on securing water resources and infrastructure from large-scale disasters, there are still numerous small-scale spills of contaminants into US waters annually. Energy producing states (i.e., the top 15 states producing energy) receive a disproportionate share of chemical spills to surface water based on an analysis of the toxic release inventory database. Two unprecedented disasters in January (Elk River, WV) and February 2014 (Dan River, NC) highlight concerns regarding the safety and resiliency of water resources and drinking water systems. Therefore, there is a need to expand the research capabilities across the nation and in energy producing states in particular with respect to water research and coordinated responses to spills impacting water resources. This research will require interdisciplinary teams conducting research at the interface of engineering, aquatic ecology, and risk communications/social sciences associated with water resources. These teams would benefit from consolidation of lessons learned from two recent disasters for more informed design of research agendas. The proposed workshop includes identification of key research needs in water resources protection and crisis/risk communication and allows for the expansion of the research community capable of addressing those research areas. Representation of multiple groups and interests are needed for advancement of water resources protection including academic and federal researchers, federal management agencies, and water utilities. By engaging diverse groups in the workshop activities we will provide an opportunity for cross fertilization of research ideas leading to the formation of interdisciplinary research teams. The workshop will provide these multidisciplinary groups a forum for meaningful consolidation of lessons learned and research needs in an area of national importance. This workshop will also offer the opportunity for training graduate researchers and post-doctoral scholars in the dissemination of research results. The objective of the proposed workshop is to 1) convene the community of researchers investigating two recent disasters impacting water resources, 2) consolidate and disseminate lessons learned on the science and risk communications of these and other disasters impacting water resources, 3) identify future research needs, and 4) identify cross disciplinary research teams for investigating these research needs. Without the proposed workshop, the key lessons learned from the recent disasters are unlikely to be communicated to stakeholders. The workshop will foster a unique opportunity to identify research needs in areas of national importance in water resources through cross fertilization of research ideas. The workshop is also designed to allow researchers the opportunities to form multi-disciplinary, collaborative research teams. Through facilitated activities during the proposed workshop, attendees will help define future research agendas of national importance and identify potential multi-disciplinary collaborative research teams. These facilitated activities will be jump started by pre-workshop surveys and in-person panels discussing the two recent spills affecting water resources in West Virginia and North Carolina. After the workshop, the peer-reviewed paper(s) generated are anticipated to be used by multiple agencies and researchers to design better disaster response plans, in pre-planning to reduce the likelihood of disasters from occurring, and in determining appropriate crisis communication approaches.