America's Water Supply

<p>The nation's potable water supplies and associate distribution systems are vulnerable critical infrastructures prone to an asymmetric attack via chemical or biological (CB) agents. The USA Patriot Act defines critical infrastructure as an asset so vital to the United States that its incapacity or destruction would have a debilitating impact on security national economic security national public health or safety or any combination of those matters. The United States Government (USG) must lead the nation in preventing death or illness that would result from a CB attack on the nation's water supplies. Because private industry owns and operates approximately 85 percent of the US critical infrastructures and key assets the USG working with state and local government must lead the effort to improve water supply security and preparedness measures to combat the CB threat. In effect the front lines of defense in this new type of battle have moved into the nation's communities and within individual institutions that make up the critical infrastructure sectors.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>