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Water suppliers are under an increased threat of terrorism. Documents captured in Afghanistan after the 911 attack show that Al Qaeda was very interested in United States water supply systems. These systems are still very vulnerable in several ways.

Many experts seem to be thinking that the probability of a terrorist attack on one of our nation's water supply systems is very low. They note that an attack would not kill enough people to make a notable splash in the nightly news.

In my opinion, they are missing the point of terrorism itself. As I note in my books and articles on water systems and terrorism, terrorism is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as:

The systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion

Terror is defined as:

violence (as bombing) committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands

In an American Water Works Association (AWWA) paper about 911, the threat of terrorism is noted:

America has long enjoyed the safest drinking water in the world and among the lowest rates of waterborne disease of any nation. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control has said that waterborne disease is virtually undetectable in the health statistics of the United States. With respect to terrorism, most experts consider the likelihood of a successful terrorist attack on America through the water to be small. However, attacks against water systems are a known modus operandi of several terrorist groups. Materials relating to American water supply have been recovered from terrorist sites overseas. A damaging attack could affect water quality and public health, or it could involve water supply, affecting fire control, sanitation, and so forth. Clearly, water supply is critical to homeland security. We are not invulnerable to terrorism, and the consequences of a successful attack through the water could be catastrophic.