IEC has the capability to perform short-notice inspections, sampling and analyses in response to regional environmental emergencies, concerns, or natural disasters. In the past, IEC has assisted local environmental agencies with microbiological analyses to determine environmental impacts after Hurricane Irene and a fire at the North River Water Pollution Control Facility in New York City, and to investigate persistent high pathogen concentrations in Sparkill Creek, a bi-state waterway that flows through Rockland County, NY and Bergen County, NJ before entering the Hudson River.

IEC’s ability to mobilize and perform sampling quickly at the request of local agencies makes IEC a valuable resource in times of need. In 2014, IEC formalized the process by which such short-notice work is performed by drafting a QAPP outlining short-notice sampling procedures, which has been approved by the EPA.