Christopher Shays: “Last Thursday, three men were arrested in Easton, Connecticut after being seen videotaping a water reservoir and…”

“Last Thursday, three men were arrested in Easton, Connecticut after being seen videotaping a water reservoir and filtration plant. The good news: A vigilant employee alerted local police. City and state emergency response teams were mobilized, the FBI was brought in, and the water was tested and found to be safe. The bad news: Before being seen, those three men got past security fences and 'No Trespassing' signs, and could have destroyed or contaminated facilities supplying drinking water to 238,000 people in southeastern Connecticut. It appears to have been an innocent mistake, a misguided desire to capture Connecticut's beautiful scenery from the wrong vantage point. But the incident demonstrates the vulnerability of critical water systems to biological terrorism. This conference report begins to address protection of water supplies by directing updated threat assessments, vulnerability assessments and incorporation of both into current emergency response plans. The current frustratingly vague string of alerts about potential terrorist acts cannot obscure one hard truth evident even before September 11: It is not a question of whether but only when, where and at what magnitude the United States will be attacked using biological, chemical, radiological or even nuclear weapons.”