Terrorism vulnerabilities to the water supply and the consumers'
right to know
By Dan Kroll
The
vulnerability of our water supplies to disruption and contamination by
potential terrorist acts has been well documented. Due to the nature of
this sort of attack, casualties will be inevitable. No remedial actions
are capable of completely mitigating this threat to consumers. Education
as to the nature of a potential threat empowers people at risk to take
actions to reduce loss. Education, accompanied by suitable public
warning in the case of a detected event, saves lives, curtails panic,
and expedites recovery.
Public safety is a fundamental duty of government. Public safety is also
the responsibility of citizens to take action not only to protect
themselves and their loved ones but also to make society safer through
their everyday actions.1 This responsibility cannot be met
unless proper education of the public is implemented.
First responders and others critical to the discovery of, mitigation of
and recovery from such an attack on water supplies should receive
education pertaining to the potential threat. A second target for
education on the threat would be the media. Many reporters specialize in
these issues. If they were to be educated in advance regarding
intentional water contamination events, they might be able to interpret
the actions and advisories of authorities for the public.2
The public is not liable to be acutely engaged until after an attack has
occurred. It is nonetheless crucial that we invest more resources toward
educating local community leaders about immediate actions that can be
taken in the aftermath of such an attack. Officials operating from a
response plan that has taken into account the potential for such a water
emergency and communicating through a press that comprises informed
members is the best hope for intelligent choices by the public.3
Although a difficult proposition, any effort to educate the public
pre-event will be sure to reap rewards.
A well-informed public is an asset because they are less likely to panic
in the case of an emergency. A thorough understanding of the risks
entailed in a water contamination emergency will result in a rapid and
correct response by those that will have to deal directly with the
consequences. Besides the obvious salutary effects of being able to
limit exposure, preventing panic and hastening clean up and recovery,
there is an added benefit of having an informed public in the case of
water contamination emergencies that doesn't exist for other types of
emergencies. Hurricanes and nuclear detonations are not difficult to
detect. A water emergency, however, may not be readily apparent. An
informed public may be able to help in the discovery of such an event
through consumer complaints and reporting.
Statements made by officials in the aftermath of 9/11 that our water
systems were safe resulted in a false sense of security for the public.
The fact is that our water supplies are indeed vulnerable. This risk
needs to be communicated. Offering the public platitudes will do no one
any good. A well-informed citizenry is the ballast that will maintain
society in a steady state. Not only will it reduce the potential
destructive nature of an event but also, in the case of water
contamination emergencies, may actually aid in early detection. It is
the public's right to be fully informed and it is our duty to see that
it is done in such a way as to optimize the potential benefits while
preventing paranoia or general mistrust of water supplies.
Resources
1. Partnership for Public Warning. A national
Strategy for Integrated Public Warning Policy and Capability. May
16, 2003.
2. Carter A. B., May, M. M. and Perry, W. J. The Day After: Action
Following a Nuclear Blast in a U.S. City. The Washington Quarterly.
Autumn 2007.
3. ibid.
About the Author: Dan Kroll is chief scientist
at Hach Company's Homeland Security Technologies division, in Loveland,
CO. He has been the lead researcher on a variety of method development
projects for the physical, chemical and microbiological quality of water
and soils for which he holds several patents.
August 2009
© 2013. PennWell Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.waterworld.com/articles/2009/08/terrorism-vulnerabilities.html
|