Plant Break-In Prompts Water Alert In Volusia (Florida)

WKMG-TV (Orlando) ^ | 1/14/03

[Heartlander2]

Thousands of residents in Debary, Fla., have been warned not to use tap water after a break-in at a water treatment plant, according to Local 6 News.

The water warning affects more than 4,200 people in DeBary,the southern end of Orange City and in some unincorporated areas.

Investigators said intruders broke through a security fence at the Glen Abbey Water Plant and removed a ladder access gate at one of the water storage tanks and a screen from another tank.

Authorities believe that the break-in happened over the weekend but officials did not announce the incident until late Monday night. The Volusia County Health Department is testing the water but are not sure if any water tampering took place.

The water will reportedly be tested for toxicity, pesticides, cyanide, and other elements, according to a report.

Tests on the water should be completed in a few days.

[Theresmoretoit]

My brother-in-law works for the the water works in nortern VA (not sure where, possibly Fairfax County). He told me, over the holidays, that they had just spent lots of $$ on extra security measures. The guy who runs the plant is a Muslim, and the security they hired are mostly Muslim. He said it was funny? how they would stop what they were doing and put down their prayer rugs and pray during their prayer times. He said that he has known the guy for many years and that he was a good guy and wouldn't worry about him doing any wrong. I was going Hmmm. Not to be racially profiling, there are alot of good people in all religions, but I'd be worried. I found this to be very ironic.

[Jennifer in Florida]

I just found this online: Ricin Information

[Theresmoretoit]

nortern=northern

[uncbuck]

My brother, sister and there families live in Marco Island, on the southwest coast of Fla. It's Collier co, but I was wondering If anyone knows where Volusia Co is?

[Lion's Cub]

Why is it going to take a few days to test the water?

Bacteria take some time to grow on a petrie dish. Some viruses can only be seen with a special microscrope that the average lab probably doesn't have.

Also, when you have your water tested, you probably only test for a limited number of things. Under the circumstances, the city probably has to test for just about everything that could cause problems--that's a whole lot of testing...

[Lion's Cub]

It bothers me that this security breach was not detected for perhaps more than 2 days. And even if the tests are all negative, the financial losses are going to be considerable. Not to mention the nagging worry residents will have for quite a while about the safety of their water...