Calif. water utility secures unmanned stations from biothreats
by Pat Dulnier on February 11, 2010
ALCO Water Service
The investor-owned Alco Water Service has begun using an RFID-based system for security at its unmanned pump stations throughout Salinas, Calif., bringing them into compliance with the Bioterrorism Act of 2002.
Under the act, water utilities that serve populations of 3,300 or more are required to asses the vulnerability of their systems to acts of terrorism.
"Employees enter and leave our pump stations [throughout the day], and we have a lot of equipment, such as flow meters, that we need to track," Adnen Chaabane, Alco Water's operations engineer, told RFID Journal. "We wanted to track what goes in and out of the stations, and at what times."
In assessing the security of its unmanned well sites, consisting of small buildings housing a pump secured with barbed-wire fencing, Alco decided that RFID tags should be issued to personnel. Those tags are then to be linked to an access-control system that will only allow authorized workers to enter the pump stations.
This new RFID-based system will both lower the vulnerability of the stations to bioterrorism while allowing Alco to maintain a detailed and accurate history of employee activity.
The RFIDs will also allow Alco to tag its vital assets, which will let personnel better locate them quickly in the event of an emergency such as an attack, lowering the vulnerability of the water system.
More News
- Bangladesh faces another anthrax outbreak
- Anthrax found in dead English heroin user
- Bangladesh says anthrax outbreak is under control
- Bioterror experts meet in Kansas City, Missouri
- Achaogen receives BARDA contract to fight biowarfare agents
- Israel begins prepping for biological, chemical attacks
- Anthrax confirmed in Russia's Republic of Dagestan
- Purdue receives grant to identify pathogens in food
- Fla. man convicted of threatened biological weapon use
- IDF to release updated chemical attack treatment handbook
Read all news
Browse by Category
Browse by Location
Search
Subscribe to our newsletter
RSS Feed
