Water/Wastewater Infrastructure Security: Threats and Vulnerabilities

Abstract

Protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure requires a multilayered security program tailored for each system and protective measures in the form of policies, procedures, and security investments to reduce risks to critical infrastructure. Water and wastewater utilities are part of the water sector which is one of the 18 critical infrastructures as defined by homeland security experts and officials. As of 2006, there were approximately 160,000 public drinking water utilities and more than 16,000 wastewater utilities in the USA. A high percentage of the US population receives potable water and sanitary sewer service from these utilities which are owned and/or managed by private, municipal, and special purpose districts, spread across thousands of jurisdictions from coast to coast. This chapter will examine why water infrastructure is so critical to the USA and describe why drinking water and wastewater systems need to be protected, what threats to consider, and identify the vulnerabilities that increase risks and leave assets susceptible to an attack or large-scale system failure. Hazards that could threaten and disable an entire system will be examined and vulnerabilities and the potential consequences of an intentional attack on a water system will be illustrated. Other issues to be discussed are the drivers for security improvements and physical security countermeasures available to prevent security incidents and to protect against, prepare for, and respond to large-scale water system failure.