The Department of Homeland Security has done a very excellent job of spotting potential International Terrorist Plots after 9-11 and in doing so worked hard to prevent such targets from being exploited. Our think tank after 9-11 also has been thinking on this and we identified 20 worst case scenarios and then following the lead of DHS, figured out ways to shore up such risks. Below is worst case scenario number 11;

"International Terrorists attack and hit that Experion Sewer Treatment by LAX in Southern CA. If they attack it by truck and drive a truck bomb into the giant Chlorine Tanks, the on shore breeze of 15 knots would send a Chorine tank into the city killing 100,000 to 500,000 people within a few hours and shut down the airport and freeway and if they did this just prior to rush hour, by the time the gas cloud reached inland there would be grid lock.”

We considered how would they go about this? Well we considered the need for assistance from the inside. Thus the attack would be easy for an employee of Experion once he made it through the gate he is home free to drive into the Chlorine tanks. The plant would be shut down immediately and everyone would evacuate with masks, but once the chlorine gas got out, it is too late.

This is only one of many of such plants, which are down wind from larger cities, generally they are located near water at the lower end of cities using gravity from the slope to move the waste water to the plant. Anywhere there is an onshore breeze where the treated water is sent to the ocean, that is a potential International Terrorist target.

We must also remember they understand the value of these plants and how they work because they do not have enough of them in their country and know the value to our population, where as our population or a domestic terrorist would never think of this because they take them for granted. And generally the smell of them keeps most people wanting to stay away.

Our Think Tank recommended extensive background checks of every worker at any type III sewer treatment plant. We also recommended that these facilities work with the city to develop a volunteer local watch patrol:

http://www.lancewinslow.org/ntw.shtml

Additionally we recommended more video surveillance and review of emergency training for shut down. Further we suggest landscape changes to include berms and ditches so no truck could get through to the tanks. Today thanks to the DHS most all of our plants have implemented many of these safety precautions and thus I say to you today, that just because you do not see the DHS at work, does not mean we are not being protected behind the scenes. Think on this in 2006.