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Columbus, Ga., to Lead U.S. Cities in Analyzing Water Security
Publication: CO - Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Source: KRTB - Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News
Oct 10 00:00
By Harry Franklin, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Oct. 10--Columbus will be the first city in the United States to analyze the
vulnerability and security of its water and wastewater systems.
Columbus Water Works has been awarded a $115,000 grant from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency to enhance security of the water system.
It was also notified Sept. 26 of a $55,000 grant awarded by EPA through the
Association of Metropolitan Sewage Agencies. The two grants will pay for a model
vulnerability analysis for the combined water and wastewater utility without
additional cost to its customers.
"It's an opportunity to do a thorough assessment of our vulnerability to
terrorist attacks and to some extent to natural disasters," Columbus Water Works
President Billy Turner said Tuesday. "It will primarily be focused on terrorism.
It grows out of the Sept. 11, 2001, incidents.
Since then, there have been developing technologies to address and improve
security around facilities such as water systems. This project is something
we've been tracking quite a while. We knew Congress had been looking at water
systems. Since we operate the water and wastewater systems jointly, we knew
there was some interest in doin g joint studies."
It is also a demonstration project that uses a new software system called VSAT,
Turner said.
"If we identify a plan for security and vulnerability, using the VSAT software
we can continuously update programs and activities," Turner said. "It will
probably be the most-used program in the future. It is being designed for both
large and small systems."
A company called PA Consultants, Washington, D.C., will send consultants to
Columbus in the next two weeks to work with specially trained Columbus Water
Works officials on the model vulnerability analysis.
"We will work with it over the next two months," Turner said. "The consultants
doing the work here won't disclose specific information about our system but may
use examples similar to our system in demonstration projects. A series of
workshops over the next 6-8 months will train people in how to use the VSAT
model. Our work will serve as a model demonstration to make sure others know how
to assess things on the ground and put them into the model."
The grant program will pay for the following activities at large water utilities
serving more than 100,000 people:
-- Developing a vulnerability assessment, the highest priority under the grant
program, since it is the first step in understanding where a utility might be
damaged in a terrorist attack.
-- Enhancing the existing Columbus Water Works Emergency Operations Plan.
-- Developing a Security Enhancements Plan.
The work is to be completed by January, to comply with EPA and congressional
guidelines for system security assessment.
(c) 2002, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune
Business News.