Reducing Vulnerability of Water Supply Systems to Attack

Abstract

The paper reviews needs and opportunities to reduce the vulnerability of public water systems to willful attack. Water supply infrastructure systems, and their components are described in general. The terrorist threat is described, classifying potential physical, chemical-biological, and cyber attacks to these systems. A hierarchical holographic model is introduced for multiple perspectives on the hardening of water systems. Types of hardening are defined, including security, robustness, resilience, and redundancy. The paper concludes with recommendations and opportunities for future research into quantitative risk analysis, an adaptable template for threat assessment and hardening, pacts providing for mutual emergency aid, potential psychological impacts, economic consequences distinguished from threats to life, education and training needs, and case studies of typical systems. Overall, the paper provides a foundation for improving the assessment of the risk of willful attacks in the management of civil infrastructure systems.