Drinking Water System Threats and Vulnerabilities Breakout Session

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Drinking Water SystemThreats and
VulnerabilitiesBreak-out Session

• Bruce Kiselica, Chief
• Drinking Water Section
• USEPA, Region II
• June 27-28, 2002
• Rutgers University
• New Jersey

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Potential Threats to Drinking Water Systems

• Objective of attack
• Interrupt supply of safe water.
• Create widespread fear and panic.
• Produce mass casualties.
• Type of attack
• Introduction of contaminants (focus of workshop)

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Vulnerabilities to Contamination
Reservoir
Tanks
River
Canals Pipes
Pumps
WTP
Wells
Distribution System
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Source Water Vulnerabilities

• Surface water sources
• Very large dilution factors are typical.
• Natural treatment processes can remove or
  neutralize contaminants.
• Contamination near the intake will minimize
  dilution and natural treatment.
• Off-stream storage is vulnerable to attack.

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Distribution System Vulnerabilities

• Large, complex, and accessible
• Commercial residential service connections.
• Fire hydrants.
• Finished water storage.
• Impossible to eliminate all access, but
• key system components can be hardened.
• Difficult to contaminate an entire city via the
  distribution system, but
• fairly easy to impact small sections or
  individual buildings.

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Threats and VulnerabilitiesDiscussion Questions

• What are the contamination threats?
• Distribution system 1
• Hoaxes and pranks (lots since 9/11)
• Need top 10 list to monitor (differs by
  systems)
• Questions on sensor time-frame info (depends
  where)
• What information on threats is needed?
• Vary too much can one address all?
• ISAC needed realize some info will get out.

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Threats and VulnerabilitiesDiscussion Questions
(cont)

• What can be done to reduce contamination
  vulnerabilities?
• Utilities need to protect all sensitive info.
• Source Water
• develop baseline on quality for EWS
• Distribution System
• develop baseline on quality for EWS
• GIS-based consumer complaints program
• biomonitors (fish tanks in schools?)

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Threats and Vulnerabilities Recommendations

• Before EWS - need to evaluate risks of entire
  system
• EWS can help (against hoaxes real thing)
• A lot can be done with little or no
• Enlist recreation user eyes
• We all need to think outside the box
• Utilities need info on top 10 to do VAs and
  respond to incidents
• Lets not forget common sense!

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For more info, questions, etc.

• Contact
• Kiselica.Bruce_at_epa.gov
• 212-637-3879