Recommended Actions
When an extreme weather event such as a hurricane, flood, blizzard or ice storm is anticipated to potentially impact Massachusetts, MassDEP recommends that public water systems take the following actions to prepare for and mitigate the potential impacts from these events:
- Review your Emergency Response Plan (ERP).
- Top off all fuel tanks of emergency vehicles.
- Exercise all emergency generators under load and make sure you have an adequate fuel supply for these generators.
- Make sure you have an adequate supply of all bulk chemicals and contact your chemical suppliers to ensure that adequate disinfection chemicals are available.
- Review communications plans, prepare preliminary notices, and test communications equipment.
- Check status of water quality sampling equipment and contact laboratories to ensure they will be available to conduct sample analysis.
For additional information on preparing for and responding to extreme weather events, please visit the websites listed below in Additional Resources.
In the event that an extreme weather event impacts your ability to deliver a safe and adequate supply of drinking water to your customers for any reason, please notify MassDEP by calling the MassDEP 24-Hour Emergency Telephone Number at 1-888-304-1133 or your regional office during regular working hours
Additional Resources
Open DOC file, 28 KB,
Hurricane Preparedness Tips for Water Systems
(English, DOC 28 KB)