Water security guidelines released
Standard voluntary guidelines for protecting water systems across the country are now available for trial use. Developed by the Reston, Va.-based American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Denver-based American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Alexandria, Va.-based Water Environment Federation (WEF), the guidelines are part of the federal Water Infrastructure Security Enhancements (WISE) program.
The guidelines cover drinking water, wastewater and stormwater utilities, providing tips on improving security measures for new and old facilities. “Our society depends on a safe and reliable water supply, not only for human consumption but also for other needs such as industry, agriculture and even fire protection,” says ASCE Executive Director Patrick Natale.
Construction and design risks are included in the guidelines, as well as physical security techniques to detect and/or delay malevolent parties. The draft of the standards is available on the Web at www.awwa.org, www.wef.org and www.asce.org.
