Homeland Security includes small water systems

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

FBI Mass Destruction Coordinator J.P. Riordan from Houston updates LCRA staff members on terrorist information . -- Photo by Monette Taylor

August 18, 2005 - Since the attacks on the United States from terrorists in 2001, Americans’ ways of life have had to take new directions and precautions to keep us safe. In the rural areas, citizens have been told to keep an eye on vast amounts of chemicals, crop-dusting airplanes, and water systems.

On July 28, managers and those involved in small water systems gathered at the Lower Colorado River Association’s (LCRA) McKinney Roughs, between Austin and Bastrop, to hear the latest information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and professionals connected to Homeland Security at Texas A&M University (TAMU).

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Coordinator J.P. Riordan, out of the FBI Houston Operations Unit, presented information that should become an important part of every small water system management. Riordan’s area covers 40 counties in South Texas, and she travels around giving updates on terrorist information, along with investigating situations that could be instigated by terrorists.

According to the FBI, the definition of terrorism is: “The unlawful use of force or violence committed against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

Riordan explained that terrorists “are very patient … not a ‘hurry up’ group.” Due to the increased use of the Internet over the past few years, domestic terrorism or “home grown bubbas,” as she put it, have increased, too.

The FBI has various information confirming that terrorists have obtained information on various water systems, and it is only a matter of time until there is a serious breach of security in a system, said Riordan.

She explained that the FBI responsibilities are to “identify, detect, deter and disrupt terrorist operations before they occur.” The FBI is the lead law enforcement operation in a terrorist incident while the DHS/FEMA takes the lead in rescue and recovery operations. Riordan noted that there are 56 WMD coordinators located across the United States.

While water supplies are a target for terrorists all over the world, Riordan encouraged managers to “train your people to know what’s going on outside of your little world.” According to Riordan, there are 54,000 public community water systems in the United States. Of these, 8 percent of the water systems provide water to more than 10,000 people, which is about 81 percent of the population. This leaves 92 percent of water systems that cover less than 10,000 people.

As Riordan explained, the effects of disrupting a public water supply would “severely hinder firefighting ability, hospitals, schools, commercial businesses and industrial plants.” The following disruption of all of these entities could be just what the terrorist were hoping to achieve.

She said bombs are still the “weapons of choice” with 95 percent of terrorism including some kind of explosives, and since the general population “feeds off panic,” there needs to be a plan in place, in case of such an emergency.

It was evident, after 9/11, heightened awareness and suspicions were widely prevalent in the United States. Between Sept. 11, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2001, the WMD team responded to 14,968 calls to suspected anthrax; 1,015 responses to other WMD matters; 379 anthrax cases opened; 36 other WMD cases opened and 52,079 telephonic responses to WMD matters.

While the calls for investigation went down in 2002, the general public and city managers are more alert to possible terrorist activities. Riordan did encourage citizens and managers to report anything that does not seem normal … better safe than sorry.

In closing, Riordan said that the “bottom line” of being prepared for any kind of terrorist attack is “… without communication, coordination and cooperation, you get chaos, crisis and confusion.” She urged attendees to return to their areas and put plans into place that would help keep rural citizens, along with urbanites, safe.