Are water supplies safe from attack?

• Most experts have emphasized that PWS’s are at low risk for bioterrorism.
• Director Whitman of the EPA says her family is still drinking tapwater (http://www.epa.gov/epahome/headline_102201.htm).
• Dilution is a significant factor-less than one percent of water from public supplies is used for drinking (see dwbackground.htm).
• Dr DA Henderson of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies (http://www.hopkins-biodefense.org/) stated that a "carload" of anthrax would be required to contaminate a water system.
• Water systems are continually monitored
• Biological contaminants
• Chemical conditions
• Water supplies typically filter and chlorinate the water.
• According to the AMA, "Standard levels of chlorine in municipal water sources should protect against waterborne infection" by F tularensis (http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v285n21/ffull/jst10001.html#a11) and other biological threats.
• Work is underway on a "sniffer" that would provide continuous information on solvents and similar toxins in drinking water systems (http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2001/watsniff.htm)
• The EPA has an FAQ on post-9/11 water safety at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/security/secqanda.html

Does water face other dangers?

SANDIA RESEARCHER JEFFREY DANNEELS is developing a program to train water utilities to assess the vulnerabilities of their systems and develop measures to reduce the risks and mitigate the consequences of terrorist or other criminal attacks.