By James Laughlin, Editor
In the good old days, if a customer called to complain about cloudy tap water they were often told not to worry, that the problem was probably caused by hydrant flushing in the area. Now, the response is send out a lab tech to test the water.
That's just one of the many things that has changed since September 11, according to two utility executives who spoke recently during the annual meeting of the Water & Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association.
David Binning, Director of Planning and Engineering at the Fairfax County (Virginia) Water Authority (FCWA), and Mike Marcotte, Chief Engineer and Deputy General Manager for the D.C. Water & Sewer Authority (WASA), shared their concerns and challenges regarding security issues post 9/11.
Both stressed the need for a cultural change in their departments. In the good old days of last year, security wasn't a big concern. In fact, it was pretty much none existent. Now, employees must accept and embrace the need for locked doors and gates. Even the strongest lock is useless if the door is left open.
Binning acknowledge that fully protecting a far-flung drinking water distribution system is impossible. Although locks and fences are important, utilities must have an action plan for reacting to a terrorist attack or similar disaster. To that end, much of FCWA's focus in the past few months has been on training and preparing for emergency response.
As the utilities work to improve their security, the fact that they are public entities has been a challenge. One of the executives mentioned that a problem with vulnerability assessments is that they become a public record available to anyone who files a Freedom of Information Act request. Because of that, he has been resistant to writing down anything to do with his system's vulnerabilities.
While money is an issue, it's not always the core issue. "We have 22,000 fire hydrants and 12 fire chiefs in our service area. Putting locks on the hydrants is easy. That's just money. The fire chiefs are the hard part," Binning said, partially tongue-in-cheek. I guess fire chiefs don't much care for locking fire hydrants.
Locking manholes are important on the wastewater side. It's eye opening to think of the sewers as a conduit for flammable or explosive liquids. Or just some nutcase with a backpack full of dynamite. Marcotte was considering locking devices for some 100,000 manholes and vaults in his district. He noted that his "wish list" for security would cost some $16 million, which represents only 1 percent of his annual $1.6 billion budget.
When it comes to equipment, the greatest need is for multi-parameter monitoring equipment that can give real-time, or at least quick, notice when contaminants enter the system. While SCADA systems will play a vital role in security, they are also a security concern. New and improved SCADA encryption systems are needed to protect against unauthorized access.
When it comes to spending for security, the best expenditures are those that improve the reliability and redundancy of the system, the executives agreed. Having a robust system in good repair, with fall-back systems ready to go on line at a moment's notice, will go a long way to helping utilities react to a terrorist attack.
Marcotte made a telling comment that should serve as a warning for other utility executives: Public officials were given a "pass" on Sept. 11 and not held responsible for the disruption caused by the terrorist acts. They won't be the next time. Careers are on the line.
