Representatives (signers of the WARN agreement) of public and private water and wastewater utilities in each region establish a steering committee comprised of volunteers from member utilities within the region.  A chair is elected by the committee to act as administrator for that region and serve on the statewide steering committee, which also elects a chair.  The regional steering committee organizes an annual meeting for signatory utilities to address concerns and procedures related to mutual assistance and emergency preparedness.

At least annually, each regional chair provides member utilities an updated list of emergency contacts and a data base of available equipment.   This Web site assists with this task.  Additionally, the statewide steering committee meets annually to address mutual assistance concerns.

The Statewide Steering Committee consists of WARN regional chairs, the Executive Director of the California Utilities Emergency Association (CUEA), representatives from the State Department of Health Services Drinking Water Program (DOHS-DWP), the Department of Water Resources (DWR), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), Emergency Planning Committee, the California Rural Water Association and the California Sanitation Risk Management Authority.

Purpose:
The Water Agency Response Network provides member utilities with:

l	A standard omnibus mutual assistance agreement and process for sharing emergency resources among members.
l	A mutual assistance program consistent with other statewide mutual aid programs and the Standardized Emergency Management System   (SEMS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
l	The resources to respond and recover more quickly from a disaster.
l	A forum for developing and maintaining emergency contacts and relationships.
l	New ideas from lessons learned from disasters.

Funding:
There is no cost to join the Water Agency Response Network, it is supported by volunteers from members across the state including:

l	East Bay Municipal Utility District
l	City of Redding, Public Works Department
l	Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
l	Oro Loma Sanitary District
l	City of Tulare, Department of Utilities
l	San Diego County Water Authority
l	Bella Vista Water District

Participation:
The WARN Omnibus Mutual Assistance Agreement is available to all public and private water utilities in California (see "How to Join WARN").

Approval:
All actions, recommendations, etc. are made in accordance with the articles of the WARN agreement.

Benefits:

l	Water utilities are able to establish a contractual relationship under which they are able to share resources during an emergency at the discretion of each participating agency.
l	Single agreement provides access to statewide water utility resources.
l	Strengthens the network of mutual assistance resources.
l	Meets DHS FEMA mutual aid requirements for reimbursement consideration.
l	Is consistent with SEMS and the California Emergency Services Act.
l	Provides a list of emergency contacts and phone numbers.
l	Statewide emergency resource database.
l	Contains indemnification and workers compensation provisions to protect participating utilities, and provides for reimbursement of costs between utilities sharing resources.

Contacts

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