Posted on 01/20/2004 2:54:26 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
Holes in San Diego(Texas) water source may be terrorism, police say.
For the city of San Diego, somebody's idea of a New Year's celebration - or even an act of terrorism - could cost nearly $10,000 and 400,000 gallons of water as well as cause limited service to area residents for a time after the incident.
As San Diego residents rang in the New Year with car horns, fireworks and firearms, four bullets struck the water tower on the north side of town.
But city officials aren't necessarily treating the incident as if it were a New Year's prank.
$10,000 possible cost of damage to San Diego water tower
400,000 approximate number of gallons of lost water
$2,000 reward for information leading to arrest or indictment of those responsible
Police Chief Roy Mendez said investigators have requested the help of the FBI to investigate the case as an act of domestic terrorism. The recovered bullets have been sent to Texas Department of Public Safety crime labs in Laredo.
A $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest or indictment of the person or people responsible for the shooting has been issued. The bounty has generated many leads and tips from the community, Mendez said.
"We're just need to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to lead to the right suspect," Mendez said.
While the criminal investigation into the incident continues, city officials have patched the bullet holes that punctured one of the city's water towers and are testing the water.
Vic Casas, the utility district's general manager, said some city workers heard the water tower being damaged.
"At 12:15 a.m., we actually heard the tank when it was struck with bullets," Casas said. "We had to get the water out, clean it and get the bullets out."
Casas said it took welders and grinders three days to patch up the 300,000-gallon tank, and it's taken three weeks to put the system back on line.
The city's 1,864 customers did not go without water. City water officials increased use of the city's 150,000-gallon tank, Casas said.
San Diego water customers may see an increase in their water bill this summer to make up for the cost of repairs, authorities said.
Casas said it is too early to tell how much of an increase customers could see on their bills.
"We have emergency money," Casas said. "But we never anticipated (needing) this much."
Contact Quincy C. Collins at 886-3792 or collinsq@caller.com.
Out of curiosity: are there any forensic type FReepers out there that can tell me how much info can be obtained from a bullet that has gone through a steel plate?
Cripes! What were they shooting at that tower? Propane Cylinders?!?!?!?!?!
10K seems a bit steep to plug 4 bullet holes and that tower probably would not have emptied out of those 4 little holes in less then 15 or 20 years!
Doesn't mean they will.
Doesn't sound like domestic terrorism- in the federal defininition there has to be an attempt to influence policy.
Water towers are for writing girl friends names on- not for shooting.
Why?
4 bullet holes = 3 days? Is this a government operation, or what? I'm a welder, and I make repairs like this almost every day. I cannot think of any reason it would take this long, even if they had to wait for the water to drain.
Also - "welders and grinders"? These are two separate jobs? I have to do both. Maybe I should ask for a raise...
Do a Google search on "water tanks" and "liners".
Doesn't solve the problem if it involves a liner though, not to mention that the 'products' of welding 'under water' will become dissolved in the water ...
This is pure hysteria, overreaction, and public irresponsibility. They should have patched the holes, hunted the shooter down, and hung him from the tower. But there was no need to drain it, or to spend $10,000 on the project.
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