2020-01 Performance Audit Report: Contingency Plans at County of Hawai'i's Department of Water Supply

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During the time the wells were inoperable, DWS held numerous engineers' brainstorming meetings to help develop contingency plans and procedures. While DWS did complete three contingency plans in 2017, they were unaware of the level of detail that should be included in complete contingency plans. DWS should have a detailed, written, contingency plan by district. The plan should be specific to include the "why" (the purpose of the policy), "who" (is responsible), "what" (conservation measure will be taken), "when" and "how" (the procedures that should take place). In addition, the plan should address each type of water usage restriction (including criteria, timing, and procedures for implementation) and the notification and communication procedures for each water usage restriction. 2. Details of DWS's Continuity of Operations Plan should be fully completed. As described above, a continuity plan is prepared to ensure that essential operations can be performed during an emergency that may disrupt normal operations during disasters. The plan should establish policy and provide clear guidance of essential functions and direct the reallocation of personnel and resources. DWS hired a contractor to complete their Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) (August 2010). This plan was prepared under a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) grant programs and in accordance with direction from Homeland Security Presidential Directives, Federal Continuity Directives, and Continuity Guidance Circular 1 (CGC 1). FEMA also requires the organization to conduct and document a risk assessment at least every five years. The COOP provides a framework in which local government, along with its officials, departments, agencies, offices, and other governmental entities, can plan and perform their respective functions during a disaster or national emergency. County of Hawaii Department of Water Supply's COOP includes essential operations and functions that must be performed, or quickly resumed in a disaster or national emergency. While the impact of these emergencies cannot be predicted, planning for operations under these conditions may lessen the impact of the emergency on people, facilities, and services. The COOP lists critical vendors and contact information for some essential functions such as information technology, accounting, and payroll (Figure 2). However, several of the essential functions display "None" or "N/A" for the vendor names and contact information. Without this information, it would be difficult to facilitate quicker response time during water disruptions. Department of Water Supply Contingency Plan Audit Results 111