Communication and Coordination
Overview

Communication and Coordination Overview
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Welcome to the Communication and Coordination Overview section of the Water Laboratory Alliance Response Plan (WLA-RP) Module. This section highlights the communication and coordination aspects of the WLA-RP and covers the following topics:

- Environmental Response Laboratory Network (ERLN)
- Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA)
- WLA-RP Scope
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Structure for Incident Response
- Acquiring Laboratory Support
- Communication

Any mention of trade names, companies, products, or services in the module does not constitute an endorsement by EPA or any non-federal entity, its products, or its services.

Environmental Response Laboratory (ERLN) Network
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The Environmental Response Laboratory Network (ERLN) provides a network of qualified laboratories that:

- Can analyze all environmental media (air, soil, surface, and/or water) for:
  - Chemical analytes (including chemical warfare agents)
  - Biological analytes
  - Radiochemical analytes
- Addresses preparedness, response, remediation, and recovery activities
- Has established procedures/practices for day-to-day use to support incidents of any scale
- Meets ERLN Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) requirements
- Supports the needs of the response community
- Uses existing capabilities and leverages other laboratory networks as a member of the Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks (ICLN)

Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA)
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The Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA) is an integral part of the Environmental Response Laboratory Network (ERLN) and focuses solely on water. The WLA is composed of water, public health, environmental, utility, and commercial laboratories.

WLA laboratories offer the capabilities and capacity to analyze water samples in the event of: Natural disasters (e.g., floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, landslides) Intentional water contamination (e.g., acts of terrorism or vandalism) Unintentional water contamination (e.g., spills, overfeeds) | ioyuk

WLA-RP Scope
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In support of the Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is sponsoring an effort to improve water laboratory preparedness at the regional, state, and local levels. A key component of this effort is the WLA-RP. The Water Laboraroty Alliance - Response Plan (WLA-RP) is a document that establishes a comprehensive, national approach to laboratory response to water contamination incidents which includes preparedness, response, remediation, and recovery.

The scope of the WLA-RP is meant to be broad in order to provide processes and procedures for coordinating laboratory response to all types of water contamination events. The WLA-RP is characterized by the following:

- Applicable to all types of laboratories including federal and state laboratories, commercial laboratories, and water utility laboratories
- Can be used for smaller incidents involving a few laboratories and larger multi-regional incidents involving many laboratories
- Has many aspects such as sample tracking and data review that can also be applied to single-laboratory responses

This icon will appear throughout the module to allow access to the WLA-RP. Click on the icon to link to the WLA-RP.

All Matrices Response Plan
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Although the WLA-RP was originally intended solely for drinking water, most of the content is relevant to all matrices. Therefore, the WLA-RP will eventually be revised into an ERLN/WLA-RP that will encompass all media. Please check the Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA) website for updates on the ERLN at http://www.epa.gov/erln.

Knowledge Review
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During what type of water contamination events can WLA-RP laboratories implement the WLA-RP to provide support in analyzing water samples?

Please enter your response below, then select "Submit" to compare your answer.

| The WLA laboratories offer the capabilities and capacity to analyze water samples in the event of: Natural disasters Intentional water contamination Unintentional water contamination Click Next to continue with the lesson.