DEP Press Advisory on Deer Hunting Cancellation, October 2, 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

THE WATER SUPPLY

E.P.A. Years Behind Timetable On Guarding Water From Attack By GREG WINTER been assigned three years ago. ; •' Ilie Environmental Protection In the last three weeks, utility Agency has fallen years behind its companies have been posting armed timetable for safeguarding the na­ guards around water treatrfient tion’s water supply against a possi­ plants, installing tamperproof man­ ble terrorist attack, according to the hole covers in sidewalks and block­ agency’s internal documents. ing roads around reservoirs. ■" Under orders from President Bill But while cities have emergency Clinton, the agency detailed its plans plans In place, most of those are for protecting the nation’s drinking designed to tackle natural disasters, water In 1998, offering a road map not terrorism. for the administration’s campaign to The E.P.A. said in 1998 that it foil terrorist plots by fortifying the would bridge that gap by telling cit­ United States’ infrastructure. ies what kinds of sabotage to expect Yet many of the steps that the and how to find weaknesses. Much of agency said would be completed as that work was to be done by 1999, but long as two years ago, like identify­ it has yet to be finished. The agency ing vulnerabilities, have just begun now hopes to have it done by winter. or are still on the drawing board. For local water companies, the Tbat is-prompting some lawmakers delay at the environmental agency to call for stricter oversight of the has meant a shortage of guidance E.P.A.’s antiterrorism efforts. when they need it most. “Our nation no longer has the luxu­ One reason for the delays, the ry of time to build adequate defenses agency says, is that it still does not against threats to our drinking wa­ completely know what the risks are. ter,’’ Senator Christopher S. Bond of Scientists have made great strides in Mi^ouri, the senior Republican on identifying the organisms that.can the Appropriations Committee, survive in chlorinated waterways, wrote in a letter this week to Christie but they are still grappling with the Whitman, the agency administrator. best ways to counteract them. “We must build them now.” Putting out erroneous information The chances of successful chemi­ just to keep to a schedule would be cal arid biological attacks on munici­ counterproductive, the agency says. pal water supplies are slim, experts Another problem, it says, is a say. Treatment plants filter out budgetary process that requires the many contaminants, and chlorine agency to request money 18 months kills many organisms. Many cities before it is used. So although the draw on several reservoirs for wa­ agency’s plan to combat terrorist ter, so even poisoned ones can be threats to water was completed, in closed while fresh sources are used. 1998, the E.P.A. did not get any mon­ Nonetheless, scientists worry that ey from Congress until 2000. lefrorists could pump contaminants Some companies say that in the directly into neighborhood water absence of clear directives they are lines or try to destroy dams, aque­ evaluating and shielding their sys­ ducts or tunnels. tems as best they can. In an audit being released today, “We’d certainly be further along the environmental agency’s inspec­ than we are now,” said Tom Curtis, tor general found that the agency deputy director of the American Wa­ had secured the 16 sites it operates, ter Works Association, which repre­ but had done little to address the sents more than 4,000 utility compa­ safety of the;thousands of local water nies. “We’re trying to do an awfuWbt systems whose supervision it had of work very quickly.”

I0-I4-0I NYC-WTC_000152456