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If you are old enough to remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001, then you probably remember where you were and what you were doing. For Louisville Water, many employees watched the horrific event happen as they were already at work.
Safeguarding the community’s drinking water has always been our priority and the events on September 11 changed how we do that.
Using recollections from John Huber, then the company president; Greg Heitzman, vice president and chief engineer; and Steve Hubbs, vice president of supplying, purifying, and delivering water, we look back at their recollection of September 11 and how the tragedy changed operations for water providers across the nation.
John Huber was in the office that morning preparing for the afternoon’s Board meeting.
“My morning was pretty open. I went to the coffee station, and on the TV, I saw the replays of the plane hitting the World Trade Center,” Huber said.
He immediately thought of his niece who worked in Manhattan.
“Luckily for her, she did not work in either of the towers, but in an adjacent building. She escaped by running up to Central Park,” Huber shared.
Greg Heitzman, also in the office that morning, vividly recalls seeing the second plane hit and thinking “This cannot be happening.” Steve Hubbs was at home. His wife, hearing the news, told him something was going on. He went into work and when the plane hit, he knew this was not an accident; “something was horribly wrong.” Quickly, all changed their focus from shock and disbelief to their responsibilities.
As a public water utility, work at Louisville Water could not stop. Using then-established safety protocols, employees were placed on alert and asked to be vigilant for any unusual activities; previously open doors were closed and locked; extra security, in the form of off-duty police officers, were stationed at pumping, production and storage facilities; water testing increased to check for intentional contamination; while public tours were suspended until further notice.
Prior to the terrorist attacks, most production facilities had limited perimeter security, and we frequently welcomed groups into the treatment plant and at the Crescent Hill Reservoir. A first response after the attack closed the popular walking spot to the community and suspended all public tours. The attack exposed risks and vulnerabilities to the facilities and standard operating procedures.
In the days after the attacks, the first responses were reactive. Louisville Water and the rest of the public water sector had its work cut out to be more proactive. With a sharpened focus, a new respect for the safety of water systems and the public water supply, industry-wide meetings helped identify vulnerabilities. Best practices were implemented to make water supply systems safer. Within a year of the attacks, Louisville Water added new security protocols for emergency plans and how employees reported suspicious activity or potential threats.
Possibly the most noted public changes at Louisville Water – adding fencing around the pumping, production, and storage facilities. The most visible of these is the perimeter fence with gates at the Crescent Hill Reservoir. Louisville Water balanced a desire for safety with the public reverence for our historic structures. We restructured how we offer tours, moving the public tours to the WaterWorks Museum at Louisville Water Tower and the reservoir and we limited access to the treatment plants.
Another effort to strengthen the system was shifting to make our own disinfectant. The one large risk all three Louisville Water leaders agreed upon was safeguarding the Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant as it related to the delivery and storage of chemicals and supplies.
After the terrorist attacks, anything related to security and safety of our water supply moved up the list of priorities. Planned infrastructure projects were put on hold, and some of the funding shifted to security improvements. Twenty-five years later, the emphasis for safety and security continue with a called-out priority in our Strategic Business Plan and ongoing work for cybersecurity.
Every event that happens requires analysis and solutions to identified risks. In the aftermath of the attacks, Louisville Water and public water supply systems across the nation reinvented for the better. While the water industry fostered collaboration, the attacks prompted a stronger sense of unity with a common goal.
“The large effort is not to be reactive but proactive to protect the public water supply,” Heitzman said.
