Report: Terrorism and Security Issues Facing the Water Infrastructure Sector

No, contrary to what some of our local residents think, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) does not automatically qualify as a terrorist organization simply because it put its Hauser refueling station over the Spokane Valley - Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer which supplies drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people.

Nevertheless, the nation's water supplies are part of its critical infrastructure. Water is essential not only for drinking but also for transportation and power generation. Recognizing its importance is nothing new. Back in 1941, FBI Director Hoover wrote, "It has long been recognized that among public utilities, water suppy facilities offer a particularly vulnerable point of attack to the foreign agent, due to the strategic position they occupy in keeping the wheels of industry turning and in preserving the health and morale of the American populace."

On April 25, 2005, the Library of Congress's Congressional Research Service released an updated report entitled Terrorism and Security Issues Facing the Water Infrastructure Sector. The report is intended to update the members of the 109th Congress about the terrorism and security issues continuing to face the water infrastructure sector in the United States.