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Utility Security Challenges
Terry Oden, security manager of Birmingham Water Works, writes about his problems and solutions in securing the community’s water supplyThe Latest from SIW
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By Terry Oden
When I first started working with the Birmingham Water Works Board in 2001, there was no security department, and other then a few gates and a chainlink fence, security was not a real concern. As with most water districts at the time, safety measures were limited and the water supply was presumed safe. The ripple effect of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 shattered all of that. Every aspect of daily life fell under scrutiny, and water was an obviously long overlooked area of vital concern.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, federal dam operators and water and wastewater utilities have been under heightened security conditions, and the U.S. Environmental Protect Agency has required all water districts serving more than 100,000 people to conduct a vulnerability assessment. I was hired as a consultant to conduct that assessment for Birmingham, which is the largest water district in Alabama, serving more than 600,000 customers in five counties and maintaining a system of some 3,900 miles of transmission lines.
Our assessment evaluated the water district’s susceptibility to potential threats and identified corrective measures to reduce those risks. We looked at threats to ground and surface water, transmission, treatment and distribution systems and took into account multiple types of risk — from trespassing and vandalism to inside sabotage and terrorist attacks.
With more than 25 years in the U.S. Secret Service and a number of years as the director of corporate security for a major regional bank, I had a strong background in physical security. My recommendations included a prioritized plan of security implementation, upgrades and technologies. After the vulnerability assessment was completed, I was hired by the district to implement my recommendations. Within three years, we went from almost nothing to a first-class security department and operation.
I knew going in that this type of project can not be effectively done in a piecemeal fashion. It takes the support of senior management and a committed board of directors. The Birmingham Water Works board of directors was the biggest asset and ally I had. I could not find any available federal funding for water works security enhancements at the time, but my board of directors, recognizing the importance of security and safety for its customers, was willing to appropriate up to $15 million and give me carte blanche to hire the people necessary to get the job done. All of the funds for this project came from the board and there were no outside sources of funding.
When I started at Birmingham Water Works, there were a few closed circuit cameras — mostly in the interior of the plants. They were used specifically to complement the supervisory control data acquisition (SCADA) system to provide live visual verification of system function and performance. These cameras were trained on processing valves, gauges and other critical parts of the facilities.
If the computerized system sends notification of a problem with water levels, pressure or any other abnormality, these interior cameras were activated to confirm or validate the alarm.
