News Article

Preparing for the worst, while still performing the best

Denver Water works regularly with other agencies on emergency response exercises.

Each day, Denver Water treatment plants produce hundreds of millions of gallons of safe, reliable drinking water for customers. The treatment process goes on safely and seamlessly, behind the scenes, and most members of the public never notice it.

But the process does involve using chemicals that need to be handled with care. And the Environmental Protection Agency requires treatment plants, like Denver Water’s Marston plant in southwest Denver, to conduct regularly scheduled exercises to test an emergency response for chemical leaks or spills.

So, on a recent Tuesday morning, the normally quiet Marston plant was a beehive of activity, as Denver Water and agencies from around the Denver metro area tested their emergency response plans for a hazardous chemical release.

Four firefighters work on an asphalt street during a simulated chemical spill. — Members of the Denver Fire Department assess a simulated chemical leak during an emergency exercise at Denver Water’s Marston Treatment Plant. Photo credit: Denver Water.

“We had a great response from so many partners,” said Trisha Jesik, an emergency management specialist at Denver Water. “It was really useful to be able to coordinate with all of those groups on an exercise like this.”

Representatives from Jefferson County's emergency management office, Arapahoe County’s emergency management office, Denver police and fire and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment all attended the event, along with Denver Water employees from across the organization. More than 80 people participated, and they all appreciated the training. Even if everyone hopes they never have to use it.

“It’s about building relationships and walking through a bad day,” said Troy Staples, an emergency management specialist with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. “We find out what we all bring to the table. And anything you can do before that bad day happens makes the bad day go a lot smoother. Because you already know each other, and you work with each other all the time.”

Two firefighters work together in front of a white and yellow fire truck as three onlookers watch. — Firefighters simulate a decontamination process of workers from Denver Water’s Marston Treatment Plant during an emergency exercise. Photo credit: Denver Water.

This is one of multiple emergency exercises Denver Water hosts throughout a typical year.

Those exercises span the scope of the utility, from chemical spills at treatment plants, to emergencies at dams, to simulated ransomware attacks on computer networks. Each exercise involves various outside agencies that Denver Water would count on during an emergency.

Each exercise has the same goal.

“We have to be prepared in any situation,” Jesik said. “And we have to understand how other organizations will work with us during an emergency.”

This particular exercise at Marston went off without a hitch. And it was a reminder of how well things normally operate at Denver Water.

“I've been on the hazmat team for well over 20 years, and I’ve never been here for hazardous chemical situation,” said Michael Pylar, a special operations captain for the Denver Fire Department.

“And there's a reason for that. It's because Denver Water is a master at what they do. It’s amazing to see how well they do everything here.”

Dozens of people pose in front of a yellow and white Denver Fire Department fire truck. — More than 80 people from multiple agencies around the Denver metro area participated in Denver Water’s most recent emergency response exercise to simulate a chemical leak. Photo credit: Denver Water.