Responding to disasters is difficult enough, but adding potential impacts from rainstorms can exacerbate those response and recovery efforts. Stormwater can transport pollutants, such as heavy metals, pathogens, and nutrients, which threaten the quality of rivers, lakes, and oceans. Many emergency personnel and stormwater operators have not considered or planned for the challenges in predicting and mitigating transport of biological agents (e.g., anthrax-causing bacterium) or long-lasting radionuclides (e.g., cesium-137) that may result from a contamination event.



Over the last five years, EPA's Homeland Security Research Program has demonstrated how EPA's Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) can be used to track the fate and transport of contaminants through multiple case studies. The program has developed a Stormwater Emergency Response Tool and Optimizer (SERTO) to leverage SWMM to plan sensor detection networks prior to an emergency. This presentation will provide an overview of how these tools can be used for emergency response and preparedness through the case studies' key findings and preview of SERTO.