Entities Will Coordinate and Share Resources in Crisis Situations

December 17, 2018- The Rowland Water District (RWD) Board of Directors has adopted a shared resources/mutual response agreement through its involvement in the Public Water Agencies Group (PWAG), an informal association of 17 public water agencies who provide various types of water service throughout Los Angeles County.   If an emergency situation should arise, RWD would join neighboring agencies to coordinate efforts on the ground in the form of personnel, equipment, and supplies from outside the emergency’s impact zone.

“We recognize that emergency situations may arise for any of our agencies and require additional assistance which may not be readily available, so we felt such an agreement would help us to better protect our respective communities,” explains Tom Coleman, RWD General Manager. “Through this partnership, we will coordinate response activities, share resources and assist during local or regional emergencies, and assist in situations such as planned or unplanned outages.”

According to the agreement, assistance can be requested orally or in writing and will be in the form of resources such as equipment, supplemental water supplies, other supplies, and personnel. After a member receives a request for assistance, that member’s authorized official will evaluate whether or not to respond, or if other circumstances would hinder response. The requesting party will reimburse the responding member for any costs incurred while providing aid and assistance during the specified period of assistance.

PWAG was formed in the early 1960’s to provide a regional association where members’ managers could periodically meet to exchange ideas, discuss common problems, share solutions, and cost share on various mutually beneficial resources.  The group recently decided to take a lead role in establishing this county-wide, water-oriented emergency management and assistance network.  In addition to Rowland Water, it is currently pursuing shared responses agreements with other participating agencies.

“Rowland Water’s partnership with the Public Water Agencies Group is a perfect example of working toward one of our primary initiatives in our strategic plan,” said Board President Robert Lewis.   “We are most effective for our customers and our region when we communicate with our neighbors and benefit from each-others’ knowledge, experience and resources.  We believe this agreement can be a model for others and set an example in the region.”

The partnership between RWD and PWG is entered into in accordance with the California Emergency Services Act and the California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement.

To learn more about Rowland Water District, visit the District’s website at www.rwd.org

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