Locks Cut At Aqueduct That Supplies Water To Greater Boston...

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Quigley_Sharps, Jun 6, 2013.


  1. Quigley_Sharps

    Quigley_Sharps The Badministrator Administrator Founding Member


    FRAMINGHAM (CBS) – The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority says someone cut the locks to three hatches at one of its aqueducts in Framingham.
    The incident occurred at the Hultman Aqueduct, which is one of the two lines that carry drinking water to the Greater Boston area.
    The three padlocks were cut from separate access hatches located at approximately half-mile intervals along the aqueduct. Police say there is evidence of an attempt to cut a fourth lock.
    State Police are investigating, though they say “there is no evidence of any crime other than vandalism.”
    The MWRA says it doesn’t appear anyone tried to tamper with the water supply and there does not appear to be any contamination or changes in water quality.
    Last month, State Police stepped up patrols at public water supplies after seven people were caught trespassing at the Quabbin Reservoir in Belchertown.

     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  2. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    I find it amazing that officials don't really seem concerned. Red flags all over the place and their response seems nonchalant to me. Are they putting these statements so the public doesn't panic or are they really that laxed?
     
  3. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    Not only that but if, heaven forbid, other "vandalizm" has occurred but is not being reported because it hasn't been found...the "vandals" now know where to strike.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
     
  4. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    This should be all over the news. When the F B I foils a plot that they have basically encouraged and given the materials to the bad guys that is major news. But this fishy behavior 1st by a bunch of foreigners on a midnight stroll then this. I was reading comments on this article about the incident: Locks Cut At Aqueduct That Supplies Water To Greater Boston « CBS Boston

    I think this comment say a lot:
     
  5. Tracy

    Tracy Insatiably Curious Moderator Founding Member

    :rolleyes:
     
  6. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    Methinks that they may prefer copping a plea to attempted terrorism in the US, than copping a plea of late night, mixed gender fraternisation (and fornication ?) in a remote area. I don't think the Sharia police would be as lenient as the US judicial system. I wonder whether alcohol was involved?
     
  7. Airtime

    Airtime Monkey+++

    Much of the DHS spending and the efficacy of their security attempts is exceedingly low quality. And people think it is a good idea for the federal government to take over health care which is over an order of magnitude more complex than this. Unbelievable.

    And the sad truth is they are only going to nab the stupid terrorists at best. The smart ones they'll seldom catch much less preempt. This is a fine example. If I were to taint a water supply I would not bother with a reservoir or aqueduct. I'd go to a farm store and get a large poly water tank, a small high pressure irrigation pump, a hose and a few fittings. Then hook to a water hydrant or large faucet almost anywhere. Partially fill the tank, poison the water and pump it right back into the water main. Repeat. Do this under the cover of night, buildings, whatever and at multiple locations and it would be difficult to catch or stop. And I was in college with a semi-radial muslim 30 years ago who set the grade bar for many of my engineering courses. So there are smart terrorists, certainly smarter than the idiots in Boston.

    AT
     
  8. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Oddly enough the DHS essentially told the MWRA to not worry about security, they would take care of it. The MWRA is smarter than that based on the time I spent working on that aqueduct project. (I was there when the towers were hit.) With the feds doing it, the money for security doesn't exist within the water authority budget. Betcha there's some fixing of that deficiency now they know the feds can't handle it. Gotta say, there are far more effective ways to contaminate the entire water supply to Boston than meddle with fire hydrants that will affect relatively small areas at a time.

    Slowly and inexorably, DHS is proving it's lack of worth.
     
  9. Airtime

    Airtime Monkey+++

    Yes and no. The challenge if a terrorist is to contaminate the water is to do it in a way that the filtration system won't compromise the contamination, won't detect the contamination and to achieve a high enough concentration that something bad actually happens to some people. This is exceedingly difficult if you go after the entire water supply, or a whole reservoir, lake or large aqueduct. The terrorist would need loads and loads of bad stuff and likely ample help. Localized contamination can actually harm some people more severely thus achieving a much higher level of terror that will grip a whole city, especially if it pops up in numerous locations. They don't need to affect the entire water supply, just unknown portions of it at a much higher severity.

    One terrorist with one van could sicken or kill a couple hundred people over 20 parts of the city in just one evening for just a few thousands bucks and not a high chance of being caught and the public servants would shut down the water system for days and days paralyzing the entire city. Just sayin...

    AT
     
  10. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Any Fire-Fighters out there who can answer this question? I know, that a wrench is all that is needed to open a hydrant. The Fire Department, regularly opens and flushes the hydrants around here, and they check for people putting rocks and such inside the hydrant. If someone wanted to add something to the water supply, the interior of a bunch of hydrants would act as a mixing chamber, by simply removing the cap, adding the substance, and replacing the cap and opening the valve, water would mix and backwash as the water pressure equalized with the pipe feed pressure. Or worse yet, a pumper truck disguised as a fire truck, but feeding pressure INTO the hydrant could hit many hydrants in the course of a day, and poison many thousands of people without leaving much of a trail to follow.
    Now my question...what's to stop them?o_O
     
  11. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    Just down from any pumping station would be the site to hit--no filters and a straight line to the whole system.
     
  12. Silversnake

    Silversnake Silverback

    And the 4th of July is just weeks away. Just sayin'.
     
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