Water Emergency Response Trailer (WERT)

The City of Grants Pass Public Works Department has initiated the use of a Water Emergency Response Trailer (WERT). The trailer is a safety net for any water emergency that the City may have by filtering and treating water just as the City Water Plant does but on a smaller scale.

We want to supply clean fresh water to citizens in any type of emergency.

The WERT will be a short-term answer if and when the Water Treatment Plant should have a catastrophic failure.

The City of Grants Pass makes a commitment to the citizens to supply safe drinking water at all times including during an emergency. The trailer is completely self-contained and as long as there is a water source (such as, the Rogue River) it will be able to clean and disinfect water for an extended period of time and capable of supplying high quality drinking water for citizens up to 1 gallon/day/person.

The trailer is capable of producing up to 45,000 gallons of water per day. During a major catastrophe, it can take several days for outside resources to reach citizens and deliver water. To have complete water services restored after a major catastrophe it may take up to a year for some services in our area.

Another good reason for having the WERT is if the City should sustain a major waterline break and the repair would be an extended amount of time, WERT would be activated and available for the citizens.

When deemed necessary, the trailer is designed to be deployed within hours of a water outage. 

Once the integrity of the water system is secure, Grants Pass City may deploy its water incident response trailer to help meet customers' minimum water needs during an extended outage. 

Deployment is at the sole discretion of Public Works Director and the City Manager and/or the incident commander in consultation with other City staff and the State of Oregon Drinking Water Program.

The WERT works just like a full scaled filtration plant and applies many of the same principles as the City’s existing treatment plant. The trailer carries multiple diesel pumps and generators so it can remain fully self-sufficient in an extended emergency. When needed water will be pumped from a source, such as the Rogue River, and passed through a 4 stage filter system which will filter from coarse through smaller than 0.35 microns. Chlorine will then be added to the water prior to placing it into fold-able water storage containers where it will sit for 1 hour or more to disinfect. The water can then be pumped through a self contained distribution piping system to customer’s containers.

Yes! The City of Grants Pass’ trailer is a fully contained water treatment trailer which utilizes a multiply barrier approach in addition to disinfection to ensure any water that is produced is particle and microbe free. The trailer uses a three stage filtration system in addition to coarse pre-screening to provide a positive barrier removing 99.99% of contaminants.

To disinfect your water storage container follow these four steps:

1. Bleach – Mix 1/4 teaspoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach with one cup water.
2. Cover – Cover the container and shake well so the bleach mixture touches all inside surfaces of the container.
3. Wait – Wait at least 30 seconds and then pour the mixture out of the container.
4. Air dry – Let the empty disinfected container air dry. Re-cover and keep for future use.

Yes, but it is recommended to boil the water prior to drinking. In an emergency it is not always feasible to perform extensive lab testing as is required at Water Treatment Plant.  Boiling instructions are as follows:

• Bring the clear water to a rolling boil for one minute
• Let the boiled water cool.
• Store the boiled water in clean sanitized containers with tight covers.

No. The trailer is designed to withdraw water from to the closest reliable water supply, such as the river, a pond, a hydrant or a finished water storage reservoir.

Yes. Bring your own disinfected water storage container when visiting the City of Grants Pass water distribution site. Follow these four steps to disinfect your storage container:

1. Bleach – Mix 1/4 teaspoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach with one cup water.
2. Cover – Cover the container and shake well so the bleach mixture touches all inside surfaces of the container.
3. Wait – Wait at least 30 seconds and then pour the mixture out of the container.
4. Air dry – Let the empty disinfected container air dry. Re-cover and keep for future use.

*Never use a container to store drinking water if it previously stored milk, fruit juice or any toxic solid or liquid chemicals.

Emergency water distribution sites will depend on the reason for the service disruption. 

If the disruption is due to a natural disaster, the site will be in a location that can reach as many Grants Pass citizens as possible.

 If the disruption is due to a water main break, the site will be located near the break to serve affected customers.

 In the event of the need for emergency water distribution, the City of Grants Pass will notify the media of the location of the distribution site(s). The City of Grants Pass will also publish the location on its website and Facebook pages.

Yes. To serve the most customers possible, a household water allotment must be established. Depending on the situation, one to five gallons of water may be the household maximum available per day. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends a volume of 1 gallon of water per person per day is sufficient to supply in an emergency.

Yes, 1-5 gallons per day. The allotment is established, depending on the situation, to serve the most customers possible. FEMA recommends 1 gallon of water per person per day.

Drinkable water is safe for up to five days if it has been stored in a covered, disinfected container.

Currently the City only has one water emergency response trailer. We hope to get a second trailer in the future in order to supply emergency water to both sides of the river. 

However, the City does have stored water at Reservoir sites that will be available for use in an emergency. These reservoirs will serve as distribution points for clean water in the event that the water emergency response trailer is on the other side of the river.

No. The City has several Reservoir sites where if not damaged we would be able to access water.