Regional Water Authority needed comphrehensive security system

NEW HAVEN, CT/June 12, 2013 — The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority located in New Haven, Conn. is a non-profit public corporation that provides water and water-related services to the community. On average, it supplies 48 million gallons of water per day to nearly 430,000 people. The Authority recently installed a security system that will proactively protect its facilities against threats of intentional water contamination.
The Regional Water Authority wanted to install a product that would provide a multi-barrier approach to security. In January 2013 the authority chose The Bilco Company’s CNIguardTM intrusion detection system, a product that is designated as Anti-Terrorism Technology as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Safety Act.
CNIguard utilizes a patented Smart Sensing Technology to detect tampering such as drilling, grinding and cutting, while virtually eliminating costly false alarms. The computerized system has the ability to distinguish between real threats and common occurrences such as heavy rain and hail. It is rated for a maximum of one false alarm per year and unlike video or audio surveillance systems, does not rely on human interpretation to determine if a threat is real.
“What really appealed to us was that this technology provides an early warning to a potential breach – something that other security systems just don’t offer,” said Jim Flynn, Senior Manager of Treatment & Distribution for the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority. “We have had a great first impression of the system, as well as with Bilco, and hope to expand the system in the future.”
The CNIguard consists of a controller and a series of detectors that are mounted on access points throughout a water treatment facility. The Water Authority is currently using one controller to monitor two detectors situated on access points to the facility. Radio signals, which are encrypted to prevent hacking, are used to communicate between these devices. The controller is hard-wired into a facility’s main power supply and connected into a standard SCADA monitoring system. Detectors are powered individually by lithium batteries and are designed for the integration of commercially available sensors to monitor operational requirements such as flooding and temperature and pressure changes, if required.
For more information about Bilco, please call (800) 366-6530, or visit www.bilco.com.