 good morning officers good morning sir what's the problem we had an alarm here this morning I responded to I walked the perimeter and we have two locks cut on doors on the perimeter that gain access to the reservoir you might join us where it is sure right this way okay officer this door is usually closed the locks cut obviously it's usually locked when I got here it was open officer access to the main reservoir can be gained right through this cord so they can pour any kind of chemicals in there just about well officer standard operating procedure at this point is for us to shut down this facility no water leaves no water comes in we'll notify the DNR and we'll draw samples those samples will be sent to a lab for analysis okay the officers responded correctly they were notified by the water utility operator of a security breach at a water reservoir after sizing up the situation they made sure the utility had contacted the local health department and the Department of Natural Resources tampering with the water supply system with malicious intent is a federal offense and therefore the officers had to make a judgment on intent and if necessary call the local FBI office the officers took control of the situation and preserved the crime scene local drinking water systems may be targets for terrorists and other criminals wishing to disrupt and cause harm to the community water supply water supply facilities provide critical public health and fire protection functions drinking water systems cover large areas are often located in isolated areas contain components that are often difficult to secure and often contain hazardous chemicals used in treatment processes for these reasons it is very important officers include water supply facilities on their daily patrols and know how to respond to malicious events at water supply facilities examples of suspicious and or illegal activities strangers hanging around locks or gates people on top of water tanks an unidentified truck or car parked or loitering near waterways or facilities for no apparent reason people dumping or discharging material to a reservoir people climbing or cutting a utility fence suspicious opening or tampering of manhole covers fire hydrants buildings or equipment and people photographing utility facilities structures or equipment the critical points of a water system are the well house treatment facilities water storage facilities and the distribution system the distribution system includes pipes valves hydrants and meters any individual not associated with the water utility found tampering with water supply facilities should be considered suspicious regular surveillance of water systems by law enforcement is important to ensure the safety of our community's drinking water located within a well house are the well and the pump itself this is the source of our water in a groundwater system often the well pump is located underground and is not visible in the well house the most common treatment process housed in a well house or a separate treatment plant is disinfection the most common chemical used for disinfection is chlorine chlorine is added to water in a variety of forms gas liquid and solid chlorine is an extremely hazardous substance chlorine gas is especially dangerous and could have a detrimental effect on populations if released into the air the chlorine gas must be stored in a properly ventilated separate room other common chemicals that may be found in a well house or treatment plant are fluoride and phosphates water is stored in various structures including ground storage tanks water towers and pressure tanks water storage facilities have hatched openings to allow personnel to enter the storage structure for cleaning and maintenance the cooperation of local law enforcement and the Department of Natural Resources is essential in providing maximum protection of water treatment facilities ensuring the continued safety of all communities this has been an introduction to security and emergency response at drinking water supply facilities take the time to establish contact with drinking water supplies in your area and become familiar with their facilities and emergency response plans