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Group Finds Terror Risks In Bay Area

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE

cwade@tampatrib.com

Published: November 25, 2008

TAMPA - The scenario goes something like this: Under the cover of darkness, a terrorist slips into Tampa's Howard F. Curren Wastewater Treatment Plant undetected.

He places a bomb under one of the plant's chlorine gas tanks and sets the timer.

The tank explodes, sending a deadly plume of toxic gas out over the Tampa Bay area.

It could happen, at least according to a report released last week by the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan think tank.

"Millions of people remain unnecessarily vulnerable to toxic terrorism," said Reece Rushing, the center's director of regulatory and information policy.

Nationwide, the report, available to view at americanprogress.org, indentifies hundreds of public and private facilities that are at-risk for a possible terrorist attack, endangering the lives of more than 80 million Americans.

In the Tampa Bay area, the report identifies at least a half-dozen water and chemical facilities, including Clorox's Tampa plant, the Hillsborough River Water Treatment plant, Chemical Formulators, Harcros Chemicals, DPC Enterprises and the Bayside Power Station.

Tampa's wastewater treatment plant made the list of top 101 most dangerous facilities.

The report said chemical security standards enacted two years ago, and set to expire in 2009, focused mostly on physical security measures, such as adding gates and guards.

"Using safer chemicals is the only way to protect American communities from a toxic gas release," said Paul Orum, a chemical safety consultant who worked on the report.

Oren said many public wastewater treatment plants across the country have already switched to disinfectants other than chlorine gas, at a minimal cost to taxpayers.

Not so, said Steve Daignault, the city's public works director, "It would be very expensive, and we just don't have funds budgeted for that."

Daignault wouldn't discuss security at the city's treatment plant, but said it is secure.

"We've reviewed our security at the plant since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks," he said. "We feel comfortable and confident that the necessary precautions have been taken."

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