North Fayette to conduct security check
DUNBAR TWP. – The North Fayette County Municipal Authority will have one year to conduct a vulnerability assessment of its water supply that would address all aspects of the current water system, including computer and other automated systems. The authority Tuesday agreed to have the assessment prepared by an outside firm rather than be conducted in-house because of the cost associated with having to train several employees that would have to be certified.
“What it amounts to is looking at the security of our system,” said Bob Softcheck, authority manager.
Under the Federal Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act, which was signed into law June 12, community water systems that serve 3,300 or more customers must submit a vulnerability assessment to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
North Fayette will have until June 30, 2004, to submit the assessment and a certificate of completion to the EPA, followed by an update of the water system’s emergency response plan to address the findings before Dec. 31.
The deadline correlated with the size of the system, with North Fayette serving a population of 3,300 to 49,999. Softcheck said the authority serves roughly 34,000 customers in Fayette and surrounding counties.
While authority member Redding Bunting requested the assessment be conducted in-house, the authority learned that Widmer Engineering does not have the necessary resources to complete it and instead would have to contact a firm that specializes in such studies.
Softcheck indicated that the vulnerability assessment would cost $20,000 to $25,000 to complete, depending on the size and complexity of the water system.
Once completed, the assessment would address five sections, including system description and history, major threats review, existing deterrents and detection methods, site-specific review, risk assessment, response and recovery methods and recommendations for improvements, each reviewed by 25 authorized people.
Larger water purveyors with 100,000 or more customers received money to conduct the assessment and exhausted any remaining funding for other systems, leaving some states to use their source water protection grant funds for security measures.
In a separate matter, Paul Kendi, authority secretary, informed other members that he is contacting the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County (MAWC) to further discuss three projects in which they would be involved.
Initially, Kendi is proposing the installation of an emergency interconnect along Dunbar Creek near the Rose Salvage Yard. According to Kendi, the interconnect would be able to supply an additional 1 million gallons of water per day to North Fayette’s system, which would go directly to MAWC.
Kendi added that MAWC struck down the initial proposal in 1996, but after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, MAWC realized the prudence of the backup and now supports the connection.
Kendi also is proposing the installation of a second interconnect near Perryopolis. MAWC has agreed to the move but needs to be brought up to date on the project’s status. “I think these interconnects are very important, especially if there is a serious breakdown,” said Kendi.
In addition, Kendi plans to discuss with MAWC officials by next month the feasibility of installing state-of-the-art hydroelectric equipment at the dam near the filtration plant as a cooperative effort between MAWC and North Fayette.