Abstract:
Government planners have long been aware that urban water systems are vulnerable to threats and disasters, both manmade and natural, including water shortages and droughts, earthquakes, and storms with high winds and flooding. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, government planners in the United States have been forced to also consider the vulnerability of the nation’s critical infrastructure, including water systems, to terrorism. The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (U.S. Congress 2002) intensified the focus on water security research in the United States. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7), signed on December 17, 2003, established a national policy for Federal departments and agencies to identify and prioritize critical infrastructure and to protect them from terrorist attacks. HSPD-7 established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the lead agency for the Water Sector’s critical infrastructure protection activities. Consequently the EPA developed a Homeland Security Strategy, which is regularly updated (U.S. EPA 2013). The intent of the act was to enhance national security and protect human health and the environment.
