Homeland
Security
Current Nationwide
Threat Level
ELEVATED
Daily Open Source Infrastructure
Report for 3 September 2010
Significant Risk of Terrorist Attacks
For information, click here:
http://www.dhs.gov
Top Stories
•
According to CNN, a well connected to an oil and gas production platform caught fire in
the Gulf of Mexico September 2, engulfing it in flames about 100 miles off the coast of
Louisiana and forcing 13 people overboard, although none were injured. (See item 2)
•
Criminals who bilk businesses’ online banking accounts have gotten bolder and greedier in
their heists over the past year, which could ultimately result in some $1 billion in losses for
U.S. companies in 2010, DarkReading reports. (See item 19)
Fast Jump Menu
PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES
• Energy
• Chemical
• Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste
• Critical Manufacturing
• Defense Industrial Base
• Dams
SUSTENANCE and HEALTH
• Agriculture and Food
• Water
• Public Health and Healthcare
SERVICE INDUSTRIES
• Banking and Finance
• Transportation
• Postal and Shipping
• Information Technology
• Communications
• Commercial Facilities
FEDERAL and STATE
• Government Facilities
• Emergency Services
• National Monuments and Icons
Energy Sector
Current Electricity Sector Threat Alert Levels: Physical: ELEVATED,
Cyber: ELEVATED
Scale: LOW, GUARDED, ELEVATED, HIGH, SEVERE [Source: ISAC for the Electricity Sector (ES-ISAC) [http://www.esisac.com]
1. September 2, New Orleans Times-Picayune – (Louisiana) Subsiding waves allow
work to resume at BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. BP crews will attempt to
remove the capping stack atop the blown-out Macondo oil well in the Gulf of Mexico
September 2, the National Incident Commander said September 1. After the capping
stack is removed, crews will try to dislodge the well’s failed blowout preventer and
replace it with a new one. The Discoverer Enterprise drill ship will remove a capping
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stack atop the well with a drill pipe. The procedure was scheduled to take place August
30, but was put on hold, because waves of 6 to 8 feet at the well site made it unsafe to
operate the necessary vessels and equipment. Waves were expected to fall to about 4
feet September 2, allowing the drill ship to remove the stack. The capping stack is the
small blowout preventer put on top of the well July 15 that effectively stopped the flow
of oil into the gulf. The apparatus will be placed on the sea floor after it is removed.
Source: http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oilspill/index.ssf/2010/09/subsiding_waves_allow_work_to.html
2. September 2, CNN – (National) Oil platform fire reported in Gulf of Mexico. A well
connected to an oil and gas production platform caught on fire in the Gulf of Mexico
September 2, engulfing the vessel in flames about 100 miles off the central coast of
Louisiana and forcing 13 people overboard. All 13 people have been accounted for,
said a Coast Guard petty officer. They were found floating on a raft, officials said.
Mariner Energy, which owns the Vermilion Oil Rig 380, said none of the crew
members was hurt in the incident, despite earlier reports of a single injured worker.
Also, Mariner indicated that the fire — which was first reported to the Coast Guard by
workers on a nearby rig around 9:20 a.m. — was not sparked by an explosion. It started
at one of the platform’s seven active wells, the company said, though its cause is under
investigation. The company said an initial flyover of the site indicated “no hydrocarbon
spill.” However, a Coast Guard petty officer said there is a sheen on the water at the
site of the platform, measuring about 100-feet wide and stretching for 1 mile. The fire
at the platform is not out yet, but it has been contained, she said.
Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/02/louisiana.oil.platform.explosion/index.html?hpt=T
1
3. September 2, Detroit Free Press – (Michigan) Old oil pipelines are set to be
reinforced. The company responsible for the ruptured pipeline near Marshall,
Michigan plans up to 1 month of drilling beneath the Straits of Mackinac to reinforce
twin, crude oil pipelines that cross there. The pipes were laid in 1953 — more than a
decade before those in Marshall. Enbridge Energy Partners will send divers down to
build at least 10 bolted anchors to reinforce the pipelines, which run next to each other,
1,300 feet apart. An Enbridge spokesman said the company planned the work before
the July 26 spill in Marshall. “Doing nothing presents a future risk to the pipeline,”
which is not a viable option, Enbridge said in a request to the state for a permit.
Source: http://www.freep.com/article/20100902/NEWS05/9020450/1322/Old-oilpipelines-are-set-to-be-reinforced
4. September 1, ABC Newspapers – (Minnesota) Recurring power outages are plaguing
area of Coon Rapids. Recurring power outages in the area south and west of East
River Road and east of Egret Boulevard were brought to the attention of Coon Rapids,
Minnesota City Council members by residents last week. The complaints were made at
the Ward 3 “Summer in the City” neighborhood meeting at Al Flynn Park August 24.
There was another power outage in the area served by Xcel Energy August 30.
According to the city manager, following the meeting, city staff contacted the Xcel
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design engineer. Xcel has been aware of the recurring power outages in the area — one
resident who lives on Bluebird Street said they had been taking place about every 10
days and lasting anywhere from 2 to 16 hours for the past several years — for a long
time.
Source:
http://abcnewspapers.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13612&Ite
mid=28
5. September 1, Billings Gazette – (Montana) Tanker spills asphalt along I-90. A tanker
spilled hot asphalt along Interstate 90 east of Billings, Montana, September 1 when it
crashed while traveling from Hardin to Wamsutter, Wyoming. Crews expected to work
for much of the evening cleaning it up. All lanes of I-90 east of Billings were open as
of early September 2. A Montana highway patrol trooper said that at about 7:30 p.m.
September 1, a Wyoming resident was driving a semitrailer pulling a pup trailer filled
with 8,969 gallons of hot asphalt westbound on I-90. The rig left the north side of the
road about 5 miles east of the I-90/I-94 interchange, and the truck and lead trailer
overturned. The pup trailer stayed upright. The lead trailer was punctured in the crash.
The driver received minor injuries. The trooper said the driver would be cited for
careless driving. Hazardous-materials crews from the Lockwood Fire Department and
Hanser’s Environmental and Remediation set up berms to contain the spill until a crew
could arrive to stop the leak. The plan, said Hanser’s dispatch manager, is to pump out
what’s left in the tanker, pump up remaining hot asphalt, and shovel out any that has
already hardened.
Source: http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_4cec2c84-b656-11df-b927001cc4c03286.html
6. September 1, Associated Press – (Pennsylvania) Fire under control at Pa. welding
firm; 5 injured. Officials said a fire at a Philadelphia-area welding supply company
that injured five people has been brought under control. A Delaware County spokesman
said the blaze that broke out September 1 afternoon at Scully Welding Supply in
Collingdale, Pennsylvania was brought under control shortly after 6 p.m. He said fire
crews were still looking for hot spots and keeping an eye on a large propane tank to
make sure that it posed no danger. The spokesman said most residents who had been
evacuated — including everyone who live within a quarter-mile of the company in all
directions — are being allowed to return to their homes, although a small area close to
the blaze is still off-limits. Authorities moved quickly to evacuate people after multiple
explosions went off just before 1 p.m. September 1. Explosions were still happening
when firefighters arrived. Five civilians were injured in the blasts, including one in
critical condition at the Crozer Chester Medical Center burn unit. Three other civilians
were treated and released. The Delaware County spokesman said four emergency
responders also were treated for heat-related issues.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5huZ7YxzidlzVijzPvAaijTard86
QD9HVEDUG1
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Chemical Industry Sector
7. September 2, Manchester Journal Inquirer – (Connecticut) Yale responsible for
chemical foam discharge. Yale University has apologized for a chemical foam
discharge from the school’s West Haven, Connecticut campus that killed some fish and
eels in the Oyster River. A spokesman said that despite killing some wildlife, the foam
mixture will have a minimal effect on the environment and is not a health threat to
people or animals. Officials said tens of thousands of gallons of a foam-water mixture
spilled out of a Yale storage building and into the river August 31 when a water pipe
broke and the water mixed with fire protection system foam that had spilled from a
tank. Authorities said the foam is 94 percent water and 6 percent butyl carbitol, a skin,
eye, and mucous membrane irritant. The state is overseeing the river cleanup.
Source:
http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2010/09/02/politics_and_government/doc4c7f
95abbbb15057619108.txt
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Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste Sector
8. September 2, Associated Press – (Vermont) Tritium monitoring continues at
Vermont Yankee. Officials at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon, Vermont
are checking a former drinking water well to make sure it hasn’t been contaminated
with radioactive tritium. The radiological health chief at the Vermont Health
Department said the 360-foot-deep well that supplied the plant until the well was closed
in February is the closest drinking water supply to where tritium has been found. But
the official said September 1 that the chances of tritium contamination are still slim. He
said tritium at the site has been found at a depth of 25 to 30 feet, while the drinking
water well is 12 times as deep. The plant has been digging monitoring and extraction
wells since January, when it was announced that tritium, a radioactive substance linked
to cancer, had been found on the plant site.
Source:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1278702&srv
c=rss
9. September 2, Platts – (National) U.S. NRC orders plan for reviewing safety of small
modular reactors. On September 1, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
ordered staff to complete within 6 months a plan for reviewing the safety of small
modular reactors (SMRs) that will allow the agency to focus on areas of highest risk. In
their order, commissioners directed staff to study “how to more fully integrate the use
of risk insights into pre-application activities” in anticipation of SMR design
certifications and licensing applications. With risk insights, companies and regulators
can look for “areas where the largest safety risk resides” and channel resources toward
areas of greatest risks, rather than imposing a blanket set of safety requirements on all
designs, an NRC spokesman said. “There might be benefit in terms of streamlining or
speeding up the process of considering applications,” he said. SMRs are defined as
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reactors with capacity under 300 MW by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Reactor vendors and the U.S. Department of Energy are working on several SMR
designs and the Pentagon is studying the feasibility of using SMRs to power military
facilities. The NRC expects to receive the first SMR design certification application in
2012.
Source:
http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/HeadlineNews/Nuclear/64113
59/
10. September 2, San Luis Obispo Tribune – (California) Diablo Canyon’s earthquake
safety is topic of workshop. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has
scheduled a 2-day public workshop in September in San Luis Obispo, California to
discuss the science of earthquakes and how they affect the Diablo Canyon nuclear
power plant in Avila Beach. The purpose is to increase the public’s knowledge of the
science of earthquakes and how it relates to nuclear plants. The anti-nuclear group San
Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace has filed five formal protests over plans to extend the
two operating licenses at Diablo Canyon for 20 more years. In filings with the NRC
this week, the activist group asked that it be declared an intervener in the license
renewal proceedings and submitted five reasons why renewal should not be granted. A
divided county board of supervisors voted 3-2 September 1 to ask the NRC to delay
renewal of Diablo Canyon’s operating licenses for 3 years while additional earthquake
studies are conducted. Current monitoring focuses on the newly discovered Shoreline
Fault, just offshore of the plant. These studies will be complete in 2013, but PG&E and
NRC seismologists have made a preliminary determination that the plant could
withstand the strongest quake the new fault could produce.
Source: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/01/1272744/diablo-canyonsearthquake-safety.html
11. September 2, Associated Press – (National) Los Alamos lab gets OK to design waste
facility. Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico has obtained
federal approval to begin design of a new transuranic waste staging facility. The
approval came September 1 from the Department of Energy. The new facility would
replace several buildings and fabric domes at the laboratory’s Technical Area 54, which
must be closed and remediated by 2015 under a state consent order. Lab officials said
the new facility will be safer for workers and the public. The 4-acre complex will serve
as a staging area for low-level nuclear waste destined for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
(WIPP) near Carlsbad. Waste shipped to WIPP includes items such as contaminated
gloves, clothing and lab equipment.
Source: http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=13087687
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Critical Manufacturing Sector
12. September 1, Aviation Week – (International) Oil fire suspected in Trent 1000
failure. New details of last month’s Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 uncontained failure of an
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airplane engine are emerging that have impacted the Boeing 787 delivery schedule
once more. Indicators point to a fault with the oil system which led to a fire developing
inside the engine and damaged not just the engine, but also the infrastructure involved
in the trial. Industry sources said an oil fire broke out within the engine during highpower runs. The heating is believed to have “softened” the intermediate pressure (IP)
shaft which subsequently failed. The engine then reached an over-sped condition and
ultimately disintegrated; with loose parts penetrating the casing. By coincidence, the
Federal Aviation Administration is poised to ratify a European Aviation Safety Agency
airworthiness directive (AD) for the Airbus A380’s Trent 900 engine IP shaft which, if
not performed, could result in similar issues to those experienced by the closely derived
Trent 1000.
Source:
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=comm&id=news/
awx/2010/09/01/awx_09_01_2010_p0-251440.xml
13. September 1, Birmingham Business Journal – (Alabama) OSHA fines Alabama plants
$3M. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) fined Whitesell Corporation $3,071,500 September 1. The Department of
Labor cited 72 safety and health violations for exposing workers to amputation hazards
and other problems at manufacturing plants in Tuscumbia and Muscle Shoals in
northwest Alabama. “Whitesell willfully tampered with the safety mechanisms of its
hydraulic forging presses at its Tuscumbia plant to speed up production, resulting in the
amputation of a worker’s hand,” said the U.S. Secretary of Labor. OSHA began an
inspection of the Tuscumbia plant in March after receiving a report that a worker’s
hand had been amputated. Due to the seriousness of the hazards noted during that initial
visit, the inspection was expanded to a comprehensive safety and health inspection of
the facility. Three weeks later, the inspection was again expanded to include the Muscle
Shoals plant due to the probability that similar hazards existed at that location. The
Tuscumbia plant employs about 17 workers and manufactures parts used in the
automotive, lawn care and home appliance industries. The Muscle Shoals plant
employs about 103 workers and manufactures fasteners.
Source:
http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2010/08/30/daily30.html
14. September 1, Dow Jones Newswires – (Pennsylvania) DJ Horsehead Monaca zinc
smelter restart to begin in September. U.S. zinc producer Horsehead Holding
Corporation said September 1 that it will restart its zinc oxide and metal refinery in
Monaca, Pennsylvania, by the end of September and expects production will return by
the end of January 2011 to the rate it was before an explosion forced a shutdown in July
2010. Horsehead said all four Larvik furnaces will be restarted in September, and the
refined zinc metal columns will be restarted in November. Investigations into the cause
of the explosion suggest liquid zinc escaped from a combustion chamber into a cooler
column where it vaporized and, upon leaking into the atmosphere, combusted. Two
workers were killed in the incident.
Source: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/zinc_dj-horsehead-monacazinc-smelter-restart-to-begin-in-september-1144968.html
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Defense Industrial Base Sector
15. September 1, Defense Tech – (National) LCS mission modules not working as
intended. A recent Pentagon war game that ran the Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ship
through simulated combat in the Persian Gulf didn’t unfold quite as expected,
according to participants. The LCS is custom built with the gulf combat environment in
mind: narrow and congested waters, a wide range of low-end threats from sea mines
and swarms of fast attack craft to higher-end air-breathing submarines. However, the
LCS flotilla found itself at a tactical disadvantage every time a simulated Iranian navy
switched between small boats and submarine attackers. It also now appears that the
LCS mission modules themselves are in real trouble. According to the Government
Accountability Office (GAO), “Recent testing of mission package systems has yielded
less than desirable results. To date, most LCS mission systems have not demonstrated
the ability to provide required capabilities.” The surface warfare package remains
unproven, GAO said, in part because of the Army’s recent decision to cancel the NonLine-of-Sight Launch System, which was to provide long-range strike for the LCS.
Further, Navy analysis of LCS anti-submarine warfare systems found these capabilities
did not contribute significantly to the anti-submarine warfare mission.
Source: http://defensetech.org/2010/09/01/lcs-mission-modules-not-working-asintended/
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Banking and Finance Sector
16. September 2, Hackensack Record – (New Jersey) Bank robbery spree
probed. Federal authorities said that a man who robbed a Capital One Bank in
Paramus, New Jersey September 1 may have robbed four other banks in the state. The
man was described as a 5-foot-5-inch black male, 150 pounds, and in his 30s or 40s. He
walked into the bank about 9:30 a.m. carrying a navy blue book bag. He wore black
sunglasses, a green New York Yankees baseball cap, a yellow-and-green checkered
shirt and black pants. The robber handed a note to the teller demanding money, the FBI
said in a statement. The teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, which the
man placed into a small, green zippered bag. The robber then pulled a black handgun
out of the larger blue bag, pointed it at the teller, threatened her and demanded money
from an adjacent drawer, an FBI spokesman said. The teller gave the robber additional
money, which he added to the money in his green bag. The man matches the
description of the robber from a July 3 holdup at a Capital One Bank in Hasbrouck
Heights, as well as a Capital One Bank in Marlboro April 6 and again December 21,
2009, the FBI said. The bank robber is also suspected of holding up a TD Bank in
Howell August 6.
Source:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/102043508_Bank_robbery_spree_prob
ed.html
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17. September 2, San Jose Mercury News – (California) Thief suspected in string of bank
robberies strikes Bank of the West in San Jose. A San Jose, California, bank robbery
is believed to be the latest heist by a buttoned-down thief identified in nine similar
crimes in the last 3 months. The suspect remains at large. Police reported the latest
robbery occurred shortly before 4 p.m. September 1 at the Bank of the West. Police
said a man in his mid-40s who entered the bank and presented a demand note to the
teller while video surveillance rolled. The still-unidentified suspect then fled with an
undisclosed amount of cash. In photos from the surveillance camera, the alleged bank
robber is wearing a black Nike baseball cap; a white, long-sleeve, buttoned-up shirt;
jeans and black shoes. He appears in similar outfits, at times with a tie, in surveillance
photos of other reported heists. Police said the man is a suspect in a series of bank
robberies throughout the Bay Area and greater Sacramento area, beginning on June 2.
Since that time, he is alleged to have hit banks in Mountain View, Redwood City, Los
Gatos, Rocklin, Menlo Park, Daly City, Pacifica, Roseville, Auburn and, most recently,
San Jose.
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15967226
18. September 2, Help Net Security – (National) Phishing campaign targets McDonald’s
fans. A widespread spam campaign that is promising cash in return for completing a
McDonald’s customer satisfaction survey has been uncovered. The e-mails, claiming to
be sent by “McDonald’s Survey Department” and with the subject line “McDonald’s
Customer Survey” direct recipients to the survey that poses questions on McDonald’s
food. Once the survey has been completed, computer users are asked to provide a raft
of personal information, including their credit card number and security code, so that
they can receive a $90 payment for taking the time to complete the questions.
Source: http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=9818
19. September 1, DarkReading – (National) U.S. businesses could lose up to $1 billion in
online banking fraud this year. Criminals who bilk businesses’ online banking
accounts have gotten bolder and greedier in their heists over the past year, which could
ultimately result in some $1 billion in losses for U.S. companies in 2010. So said the
chairman of the Anti-Phishing Working Group and CEO of IronKey: “Trend-wise,
we’ve been looking at reports of losses since the beginning of last year at $100,000 per
incident, and as we got to the latter of last year, we saw losses in the $400,000 to
$500,000 range, and now we’re seeing losses in the [millions range],” he said. “The
majority of successful heists in cybercrime seem to be against smaller companies that
tend to bank with small to midsized banks or credit unions. These banks don’t have the
security expertise that top banks [do] — they have the IT guy, whose also responsible
for security,” he said. “And many are outsourcing their banking systems to third
parties, so they don’t have a front-line security posture.” A vice president and
distinguished analyst at Gartner said $1 billion in losses from ebanking fraud for small
to-midsize businesses (SMBs) is possible for this year, but that figure may be more
applicable to losses over the past year and a half. It is difficult to put hard numbers on
ebanking losses to SMBs and banks, she said.
Source: http://www.darkreading.com/smbsecurity/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227200174
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20. September 1, Krebs on Security – (Virginia) Cyber Thieves steal nearly $1,000,000
from University of Virginia college. Cyber crooks stole nearly $1 million from a
satellite campus of The University of Virginia (UVA) last week. The attackers stole the
money from The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, a 4-year public liberal arts
college located in Wise, Virginia. According to sources familiar with the case, thieves
stole the funds after compromising a computer belonging to the university’s
comptroller. The attackers used a computer virus to steal online banking credentials for
university accounts at BB&T Bank, and initiated a single fraudulent wire transfer in the
amount of $996,000 to the Agricultural Bank of China. BB&T declined to comment for
this story. Sources said the FBI is investigating and has possession of the hard drive
from the controller’s PC. A spokeswoman at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.
said that as a matter of policy the FBI does not confirm or deny the existence of
investigations. The attack on UVA Wise is the latest in a string of online bank heists
targeting businesses, schools, towns and nonprofits. Last week, cyber thieves stole
more than $600,000 from the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa.
Source: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2010/09/cyber-thieves-steal-nearly-1000000-fromuniversity-of-virginia-college/
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Transportation Sector
21. September 1, KDFW 4 Dallas-Forth Worth – (Texas) American Airlines pilot
allegedly drank before flight. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking
into allegations that an American Airlines pilot was drinking before a flight from Dallas
Fort Worth International Airport in Texas to Cancun, Mexico. Flight 1211 was
supposed to leave Dallas at 4:30 p.m. September 1. However, passengers said that after
they boarded the plane, the pilot announced that he had been accused of drinking. He
said he would have to get off the plane to take a test. The pilot reportedly denied
drinking. Passengers said they were given the option of either staying on the plane or
going back inside the terminal. They were also given a $10 food and beverage voucher.
A short time later the customer service manager made the announcement that they
would have to wait even longer for a new pilot to take over the flight. The FAA
confirms it is investigating the incident. A spokesperson said pilots are not allowed to
have a blood alcohol level above .04 percent. They are also supposed to stop drinking
at least 8 hours before their flight.
Source: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/090110-aa-pilot-allegedly-drank-beforeflight
22. September 1, Associated Press – (Arkansas) NTSB: Medical helicopter likely came
apart in air. A helicopter ambulance left a trail of parts for about 1 mile before it hit
the ground near a mobile home in central Arkansas, indicating it came apart in the air
before crashing and killing its three crew members, a federal investigator said
September 1. The main rotor separated from the aircraft and was found north of the
main crash site, and the tail was found to the southwest, a National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) investigator said. The cause of the crash hasn’t been determined.
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Investigators will try to reconstruct what’s left of the aircraft. The NTSB also has
obtained radar data that will be examined and may reveal more about the aircraft’s final
moments.
Source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/38964608
23. September 1, Firehouse.com – (Florida) Plane crash lands on Florida interstate. A
twin-engine aircraft made an emergency landing August 31 along Interstate 10 in
Jacksonville, Florida, avoiding vehicles on the crowded highway, but snarling traffic
for hours. The pilot and a passenger were able to walk away after the 8:15 a.m. crash
landing. There was a small leak of fuel from the aircraft, Local 6 news partner WJXT
reported. The Florida Highway Patrol said the plane had taken off from Herlong
Airport when the pilot reported losing one engine. The pilot said as he turned the plane
to return to the airport, the other engine went out, so he put the plane down on the
westbound lanes of I-10 at mile marker 353 — near the Publix warehouse. Witnesses
said the plane flew under some power lines and over at least one vehicle to touch down.
Dozens of fire trucks and other emergency vehicles were sent to the scene. Traffic was
backed up for several miles until about 10 a.m, when most of the emergency vehicles
left.
Source: http://www.firehouse.com/news/top-headlines/plane-crash-lands-fla-interstate
For more stories, see items 5 and 24
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Postal and Shipping Sector
24. September 1, WTVW 7 Evansville – (Indiana) FedEx truck explodes. A FedEx truck
exploded, caught fire, and tumbled down a hill, all in a matter of minutes. Around 1:30
p.m. September 1, the driver of the truck was traveling on North Red Bank in
Evansville, Indiana when he noticed smoke coming from the back of the truck. He got
out and attempted to use an extinguisher, but the fire was already fully engulfed.
Firefighters said aluminum from the truck melted to the road and some power lines
were damaged. A FedEx representative tells FOX 7 there were only a handful of
packages still on board and the driver was not injured. The cause of the fire is under
investigation.
Source: http://tristatehomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=193305
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Agriculture and Food Sector
25. September 2, AboutLawsuits.com – (Virginia) Peanut Salmonella outbreak leads to
$12M settlement. A $12 million settlement has been approved by a federal judge to be
distributed among victims of a massive food poisoning outbreak that started nearly 2
years ago as a result of salmonella contamination at a peanut processing plant. The
peanut butter salmonella settlement would address personal injury claims brought by
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about 120 people, including nine wrongful death lawsuits. The judge recommended
approval of the settlement the week of August 30 in Richmond, Virginia. The next step
is for the settlement to be approved by a bankruptcy judge. The lawsuits were filed
against Peanut Corp. of America (PCA), based in Lynchburg, Virginia, which has filed
for Chapter 7 bankruptcy as a result of the nationwide food poisoning outbreak. The
amount of money each plaintiff will receive from the settlement varies greatly, from $2
million to under $50,000. Most will get less than $100,000. The 2008-2009 peanut food
poisoning outbreak was linked to illnesses in more than 700 people. The contamination
was traced back to unsanitary plant conditions, and it has been alleged that PCA was
aware of the problem but distributed the tainted products anyway.
Source: http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/peanut-salmonella-settlement-12549/
26. September 1, Agence France-Presse – (International) U.S. cracks down on Chinese
honey smuggling ring. The U.S. government announced criminal charges September 1
against executives from six German and Chinese companies accused of smuggling
antibiotic-tainted Chinese honey in order to avoid import duties. Officials said it is the
biggest food smuggling case in U.S. history and is part of a years-long crackdown on
illegal imports of substandard, tainted and counterfeit products. The accused allegedly
conspired to illegally import more than $40 million of Chinese-origin honey in order to
avoid antidumping duties totaling nearly $80 million. The case comes after a series of
scares involving Chinese products, including melamine-tainted pet food that killed
scores of dogs and cats, and children’s toys made with lead paint. The U.S. attorney for
the Northern District of Illinois cautioned that while the honey was tainted with
antibiotics that are not approved by U.S. regulators for use in honey production, there
was no reason for the public to “panic.” German company Alfred L. Wolff is allegedly
at the heart of the conspiracy to import the mislabeled honey. It allegedly bought lowcost honey from several Chinese suppliers and then shipped it to other countries where
it was filtered to “remove pollen and other trace elements that could indicate that the
honey originated from China,” the 44-count indictment said.
Source: http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=356430
27. August 31, Minnesota Star Tribune – (Minnesota) Can Coon Rapids dam stop Asian
carp? Can the 97-year-old Coon Rapids dam over the Mississippi River serve as
Minnesota’s barrier to the northward migration of unwanted fish, including the
notorious Asian carp? Stanley Consultants, an international firm with an office in
Wayzata, has a $164,087 contract with Three Rivers Park District to answer that
question by the first of next year. The west-suburban park district, which owns and
operates the dam, will be reimbursed by the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) from a $500,000 fund set up by the legislature to create a fish barrier
on the Mississippi. Although the dam at St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the Ford
Dam in St. Paul and the Hastings Dam are taller and therefore better blocks to the
invasive fish, they all have locks that allow fish to move upstream with boats, said a
DNR supervisor of the state’s invasive species program. “Coon Rapids dam is the first
dam on the river that does not have a lock.” Several Asian carp were caught last year in
the Mississippi River near Winona.
Source: http://www.startribune.com/local/west/101687193.html
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For another story, see item 49
[Return to top]
Water Sector
28. September 1, Birmingham News – (Alabama) Explosion in well at Jefferson County
sewer plant in Hoover causes damage. An explosion in a wet well at the Cahaba
Sewer Plant in Hoover, Alabama, September 1 damaged some vent pipes and blew off
hatches, but caused no injuries, Jefferson County officials said. The director of the
county’s environmental services department said the accident occurred at 7:45 a.m. and
the cause is unknown. He said the plant, which is on Veona Daniels Road, continued to
operate. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. The wet well is where
sewage is collected before it is pumped up into the plant.
Source: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/09/explosion_in_well_at_jefferson.html
For more stories, see items 7 and 8
[Return to top]
Public Health and Healthcare Sector
29. September 2, WAVY 10 Hampton Roads – (National) Hampton VA completes partial
evacuation. The Hurricane Earl planning stage has transitioned to the Earl action stage
for the VA Medical Center in Hampton. Staff helped dozens of patients pack up and
move to other facilities ahead of Earl’s move up the coast. The destination for 37 spinal
cord injury patients is Richmond. “I’ll be able to see all my people. I haven’t seen them
in a year and three months. I haven’t been home in a year and three months. So this is
going to give me a present. This is a present from them for me,” said a patient. The
excitement and disruption is common for those who have lived at the Hampton facility
for several years. It was a tedious, time consuming process. But the Hampton VA
director said her team had to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.
Source: http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/hampton-hospital-evacuatespatients
30. September 1, WTSP 10 St. Petersburg – (Florida) Pipe bomb at nursing home. A
suspicious device found at the Bayshore Point Nursing and Rehab facility on West
Gandy Blvd. in Tampa, Florida at first appeared to be a pipe bomb, but police said it’s
actually an authentic hoax. Police said the bomb had all the wiring and power supply
like a real bomb, but after x-raying the device, they learned it did not have the
explosive materials. Still, the bomb scare forced the closure of a portion of West Gandy
Blvd, the evacuation of about 50 nursing home residents with health problems and the
use of police, firefighters and the city’s bomb squad for several hours. According to
police, around 9:15 a.m. September 1, a maintenance manager found a suspicious
device on his desk in his office on the third floor. He called his administrator, who took
the device down to the bottom floor and called police. When police arrive, they
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determine it was suspicious enough to call the bomb squad.
Source: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=143771&catid=8
[Return to top]
Government Facilities Sector
31. September 2, Associated Press – (Ohio) Classes resume after gas leak reported at
Northwood High School. Northwood High School students returned to class at their
Northwood, Ohio school about 9:30 a.m. September 2 after being evacuated for a
report of a gas leak. Students, staff and personnel were evacuated at 7:55 a.m. for the
smell of natural gas additives, authorities said. A short time later, Columbia Gas crews
arrived at 700 Lemoyne Rd., located escaped natural gas in the crawlspace of the
school building, and turned off the gas supply to the school, said the utility’s
spokesman for Northwest Ohio. The building has been vented and crews were still
looking for the site of the leak as classes resumed, he said.
Source: http://toledoblade.com/article/20100902/NEWS16/100909948/-1/SRMAIN
32. September 2, SouthCoastToday.com – (Massachusetts) Discovery of ‘potato shooter’
prompts evacuation of school. Police and school officials are investigating who is
responsible for a pipe-like object that led to the temporary evacuation of Westport
Elementary School in Westport, Massachusetts August 30. The object, discovered by
school custodians during the school’s Open Building Day event, was described by an
official as “a sealed PVC pipe with wires coming out of it.” As a precaution, the
building was evacuated about 1:30 p.m. while police and fire personnel examined the
object, found in nearby woods. The school building was reopened at about 2 p.m after
the device had been determined to be a “potato shooter” and removed. The shooter is a
homemade item designed to propel potatoes or similar projectiles through the air,
powered by “some form of flammable fuel,” the official said. “Although dangerous to
the user, it did not pose a threat to those” at the elementary school, the official said in
an online message.
Source:
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100902/NEWS/902033
6/-1/NEWSMAP
33. September 2, Associated Press – (California) Unmanned AF Reaper crashes in
Mojave. An unmanned MQ-9 Reaper warplane crashed in the El Mirage Dry Lake area
of the Mojave Desert in Adelanto, California, the Air Force said. The remotely piloted
plane went down August 31 at 11:45 a.m. about 1 mile north of El Mirage Airfield with
no reports of injuries or property damage, according to a statement from WrightPatterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The aircraft belonged to Wright-Patterson’s
Aeronautical Systems Center, which has a division responsible for acquiring Reapers
for the Air Force. The Reaper was on a test flight that began at Gray Butte Airfield
about 5 miles east of El Mirage. The crash will be investigated by an Air Force board,
the statement said.
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Source: http://www.military.com/news/article/unmanned-af-reaper-crashes-inmojave.html?ESRC=topstories.RSS
34. September 2, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star – (Virginia) DMV able to process
driver’s licenses again. Virginia state officials said Department of Motorr Vehicles
(DMV) offices will be able to process driver’s licenses again September 2 after being
down for 1 week because of a computer failure. DMV also is extending hours at some
offices, fully staffing customer-service windows and extending the expiration date on
some licenses that technically expired during the outage. Ever since the state’s
computer system suffered a server failure 1 week ago, DMV has been unable to process
new or renewed licenses or IDs in its 74 service centers. The failure stalled licenses that
required photos to be taken, as the servers the agency used to store photos were among
those affected. Now, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency said the server
issues — which affected 26 of 89 state agencies — have been fixed.
Source: http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2010/092010/09022010/572754
35. September 1, Lorain Morning Journal – (Ohio) NASA says safety a priority in
decommissioning reactor. The walls keep tumbling down at the site of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Plum Brook Station test nuclear reactor
near Sandusky, Ohio. Contractors have razed four buildings and will recycle more than
a half million pounds of metal from demolition that took place this spring and summer,
according to the space agency. For years, NASA has worked on the process of
decommissioning the reactor — taking it apart piece by piece and building by building.
When the weather turned warm this year, heavy equipment tore into the services
equipment building, which contained water, air and electrical controls, and a laboratory
when the nuclear reactor was operational. Next on the tear-down list will be the reactor
office and lab building, leaving only the reactor building, hot lab and primary pump
house standing. Those buildings will be demolished next year. Meanwhile, NASA has
completed 6 of 20 packages sent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the
process known as the Final Status Survey, in which the space agency shows the site has
been cleaned up so the NRC will terminate its reactor license. NASA and its
consultants also are almost done with cleaning parts of Plum Brook where trace
amounts of radioactive cesium were discovered in summer 2005. Workers used shovels
and buckets to remove the contaminated sediment from 20 spots, and samples found
radiation levels at an average of 1.5 picocuries per gram. That level is “thousands of
times lower than health and safety standards,” according to NASA.
Source: http://morningjournal.com/articles/2010/09/01/news/erie_huron/mj3243588.txt
36. August 31, The Associated Press – (Tennessee) Tennessee Tech campus building
evacuated after report of someone possessing bullets. Authorities evacuated a
Tennessee Tech campus building in Cookesville, Tennessee for 3 hours after someone
reported seeing another person with bullets August 31. The communications director
for the school, said Johnson Hall — which houses the business school — was put on
lockdown around 11:10 a.m. after someone reported seeing someone else with bullets
in a bathroom in the building. The Cookeville building gave an all-clear message at
2:15 p.m. No shots were fired and authorities did not find a gun or bullets. City and
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university police searched the area. Classes in the building were canceled as a
precaution, but were scheduled to resume September 1.
Source: http://www.wreg.com/news/sns-ap-tn--buildingevacuated,0,3387357.story
For another story, see item 7
[Return to top]
Emergency Services Sector
37. September 2, Seaside Signal – (Oregon) Officials concerned about continued 911
system abuse. Seaside, Oregon Police hope that more public education will help
reduce the number of unnecessary calls that tie up the area’s 911 emergency telephone
system, which is intended for a threat to life or injury, a fire, or to stop a crime in
progress. “We have a limited number of 911 lines that come into the dispatch center at
the police department,” said a department official. “When we have to take the
unnecessary calls, it takes us away from a real emergency. That could result in a life or
death situation.” Seaside Police continue to see a steady misuse of the 911 emergency
phone system. “It’s frustrating when we get calls that come in that are not true
emergencies,” said a dispatcher. “Those calls tie up the whole system.”
Source: http://www.seasidesignal.com/news/local_news/article_42d387c4-b5de-11dfb849-001cc4c002e0.html
For another story, see item 22
[Return to top]
Information Technology Sector
38. September 2, ZDNet – (International) Apple patches 13 iTunes security holes. Apple
has shipped a new version of its iTunes media player to fix 13 security flaws that cold
be exploited to launch attacks against Windows machines. The patches in the new
iTunes 10 covers vulnerabilities in WebKit, the open-source Web browser engine. The
WebKit vulnerabilities, already patched in Safari, expose Windows users to remote
code execution attacks via maliciously crafted Web sites. The iTunes 10 update is
available for Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 or later.
Source: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/apple-patches-13-itunes-securityholes/7252
39. September 2, IDG News Service – (International) Botnet takedown may yield
valuable data. Researchers are hoping to get a better insight on botnets after taking
down part of Pushdo. An assistant professor of computer science at Ruhr-University in
Bochum, Germany said his group is working on an academic paper focused on methods
to figure out what type of malicious spamming software is on a computer that sent a
particular spam e-mail. He said they found that Pushdo had a special characteristic in
that more than half of its command-and-control servers were concentrated within one
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hosting company. About 15 of Pushdo’s 30 servers were with that one hosting provider,
which has now taken those servers offline and shared the data contained within them
with the researcher and his team. Their analysis is still ongoing, but they uncovered
some 78 GB of plain text e-mail addresses, and found that up to 40 percent of the
infected computers were in India. Of the eight hosting providers that had Pushdo’s
command-and-control servers, six took action to shut Pushdo down. But two hosting
providers based in China did not respond to e-mail requests to turn off Pushdo or even
acknowledged that they had received a complaint, the researcher said.
Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9183299/Botnet_takedown_may_yield_valua
ble_data
40. September 2, CNET News – (International) Toshiba recalls 41,000 laptops for
overheating. The Consumer Product Safety Commission September 2 issued a recall
of 41,000 Toshiba laptops after reports of some overheating and even melting. Toshiba
posted its own recall of several models of its Satellite T130 laptops on its product
support forums the week of August 23. The CPSC said 129 instances of “overheating
and deforming the plastic casing area around the AC adapter plug” had been reported.
Two of those reports resulted in “minor burn injuries that did not require medical
attention” and two in minor property damage. Toshiba said on its Web site that the
problem stems from a “faulty DC-In harness,” which can lead to the computer melting
where the AC adapter plugs in. The solution is a BIOS update, which the company
recommends users of the affected models implement right away. The update is
available on Toshiba’s Web site.
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20015470-260.html
41. September 2, TechWorld – (International) Fake antivirus software using ransom
threats. Fake antivirus programs appear to be adopting some of the money-raising
tactics of more threatening ransom malware, security company Fortinet’s latest threat
report has found. The most prevalent malware variant during August was TotalSecurity
W32/FakeAlert.LU!tr, a malicious program that masquerades as antivirus software in
order to sell worthless licenses for non-existent malware. On its own, it accounted for
37.3 percent of all malware threats detected by the company during the month. Unlike
standard fake antivirus programs, however, the new version of TotalSecurity takes the
ruse a stage further by preventing any applications other than a Web browser to run,
claiming they are “infected.” The user is invited to have the infection cleaned by
buying the bogus TotalSecurity product. “This is another example of how relying
purely on antivirus is not a silver-bullet approach to protecting systems from infection,”
said Fortinet’s threat research head.
Source: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/090210-fake-antivirus-softwareusing-ransom.html?hpg1=bn
42. September 1, ZDNet – (National) Malware hosted on Google Code project
site. Malicious hackers are using the Google Code repository to host Trojans horses,
backdoors and password stealing keyloggers, according to researchers at Zscaler. The
researchers found a malicious project hosted on the free Google Code site with about
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50+ malware executables stored in the download section of the project. According to
Zscaler, most of the files are executable files along with zipped “.rar” files. The time
stamps show the files have been uploaded over the course of the last month. This
suggests an attacker is actively using this free service to spread malware. The first
malicious file was uploaded June 24, and was still active at the end of August this year,
proving that Google is slow to find and remove malicious projects.
Source: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/malware-hosted-on-google-code-projectsite/7247
For another story, see item 34
Internet Alert Dashboard
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US-CERT at sos@us-cert.gov or
visit their Web site: http://www.us-cert.gov
Information on IT information sharing and analysis can be found at the IT ISAC (Information Sharing and
Analysis Center) Web site: https://www.it-isac.org
[Return to top]
Communications Sector
43. September 1, RTTNews – (International) India now wants Google, Skype to set up
local servers. India September 1 widened its crackdown on communications firms and
said that Google, Skype and other service providers must also set up servers in India to
allow security forces to monitor encrypted data. The move comes just 2 days after India
gave BlackBerry smart phones maker Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) a 60-day
extension to fulfill the government’s demand to open encrypted Blackberry services for
scrutiny. The chief bureaucrat in India’s Home Ministry said “all people who operate
communication services in India will have to install servers in the country” to aid in
monitoring encrypted data. The Indian government is expected to send notices to
Google, Skype and corporate virtual privacy networks for “lawful access” by the
security agencies to Internet data. India is seeking access to Google’s Gmail e-mail
service, which uses powerful encryption technology, and Luxembourg-based Skype’s
Internet telephony services. The government is also targeting Virtual Private Networks
or VPNs used by corporate employees working remotely.
Source: http://www.rttnews.com/Content/TopStories.aspx?Node=B1&Id=1407832
44. September 1, Staten Island Advance – (New York) Some Time Warner Cable
customers lose service following Dongan Hills accident. Some Time Warner Cable
customers lost their signal September 1 after a New York Department of Transportation
(DOT) truck reportedly knocked down some power lines in the Dongan Hills
neighborhood of Staten Island, New York. The vice president of Time Warner Cable,
New York City Region, said some customers lost their cable access after the DOT truck
hit a pole at Hylan Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue. She said those power outages
likely knocked out television/cable and Internet service since many of them run on the
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same poles. Several Islanders who reside in the South Beach-Grasmere-Arrochar
communities called the Advance shortly after 10 p.m. to report trouble with their
service. Time Warner Cable crews are investigating. However, the vice president noted
she could not give a time when the cable would be restored since Con Edison crews
would have to restore the power lines before repairs could be made.
Source:
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/some_time_warner_cable_custome.html
[Return to top]
Commercial Facilities Sector
45. September 2, Associated Press – (Nevada) Noxious chemical evacuates North Vegas
thrift shop. Authorities in Las Vegas, Nevada, said about 30 people were evacuated,
including seven workers who were treated for respiratory irritation after a report of a
noxious pesticide at a thrift store. A hazardous materials team was called about 3:15
p.m. September 1 to the Deseret Industries Thrift Store and Donation Center. The
people who were treated at the scene and taken to hospitals complained of burning eyes
and upper respiratory problems. Everyone is expected to recover. The thrift store is
operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/sep/02/noxious-chemical-evacuatesnorth-vegas-thrift-shop/
46. September 1, Miami Herald – (Florida) Study links Legionnaires’ cases to Epic Hotel
in Miami. A study by the Miami-Dade County Health Department released August 31
found seven confirmed and three “probable’’ cases of people who contracted the waterborne Legionnaires’ disease after staying at the luxurious Epic Hotel and Residences in
Miami, Florida last fall. In addition, one man, a 57-year-old tourist from England, died
in November. Seven of the ill hotel guests have fully recovered and three others are in
the process of recovering, county officials said. One of the guests was from Germany
and another from Spain. The only connection between the tourists is that they stayed at
the Epic Hotel, health officials said. While county health officials said they were not
able to prove “100 percent’’ that the filtered water at the hotel caused the disease,
Legionella bacteria was found in 23 of 25 cultures collected by the hotel’s contractor.
Similar results were found in the health department samples. .
Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/01/1801654/study-links-legionnairescases.html
47. September 1, TriCities.com – (Tennessee) Explosion rocks Washington County;
ammunition, fireworks blamed. Emergency crews from Johnson City, Jonesborough,
and Washington County, Tennessee, responded to the site of the explosion in a field
thatat rocked parts of Johnson City and Jonesborough September 1. Originally, fire
crews feared the explosion was the result of a plane crash. People as far away as Gray
could see a big plume of black smoke, while people in parts of Johnson City could feel
the blast. However, investigators found ammunition casing and fireworks inside a
nearby small storage unit located behind Widener’s Reloading and Shooting Supply
- 18 -
Company that is owned by an ammunition dealer. The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s
Office along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
have now taken the lead on the investigation. However, they say it is still too early to
determine the exact cause. According to the ATF Special Agent in Charge, the site was
still too dangerous for ATF agents to investigate up close.
Source: http://www2.tricities.com/news/2010/sep/01/explosion-rocks-washingtoncounty-ammunition-firew-ar-483482/
[Return to top]
National Monuments and Icons Sector
48. September 2, Blount County Daily Times – (Tennessee) 255-acre fire burns in
Smokies. National Park Service firefighters are keeping an eye on a slow-burning 255acre fire in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Chilhowee Lake and U.S. 129
in Tennessee. According to information from the park, the fire was sparked by
lightning August 17 but did not flare up enough to be detected until August 23. The
slow-moving fire is contained on three sides by Chilhowee Lake and on the fourth by
U.S. 129. Fire crews built a light fire line at the north end of the area, and “I mean light
as in (we) used leaf blowers,” a Park spokesman said. There have not been any injuries
reported in connected with the fire so far. The main concern is smoke along a section of
U.S. 129 known as the “Dragon” could pose a safety problem. The Park has been
working closely with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to keep an eye on the smoke, he
said in an e-mail, “but winds have been light and in our favor so far.”
Source: http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20100902/NEWS/309029990
[Return to top]
Dams Sector
49. September 1, California Farm Bureau Federation – (California) Farm Bureau calls
for careful study of Klamath dams. Noting that the proposal will affect farmers and
ranchers in a wide area of northeastern California, the California Farm Bureau
Federation (CFBF) has urged state and federal agencies to conduct a thorough review
and consider all potential impacts of a plan to remove four hydroelectric dams on the
Klamath River. The dams, owned by the Portland, Oregon-based utility company
PacifiCorp, would be removed as part of a plan to restore the salmon population in the
river. The U.S. Department of the Interior and the California Department of Fish and
Game have collected comments from the public concerning the issues, alternatives,
mitigation measures and significant effects to be considered in their environmental
review of removing the dams. With many Farm Bureau members owning or operating
farms within the Klamath River Basin or on tributaries to the Klamath River that are
downstream of the federal Klamath Project service area, CFBF did not take a position
on the proposed removal.
Source:
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http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1599&ck=83E8EF518174E1EB6B
E4A0778D050C9D
50. September 1, Willits News – (California) Small leak on Morris Dam poses no danger
to stability. Operators discovered a small leak on Morris Dam, the main water supply
reservoir for the City of Willits, California. It was discovered during a routine
inspection in mid-August. The leak was inspected by engineers who rappelled down the
face of the dam in climbing harnesses August 19. The leak is estimated to be about .4
gallons per minute and can be stopped by a person placing his finger into the hole. “The
leak is considered small and in our opinion does not pose any danger to the stability of
the dam,” says the PE of LTD Engineering, Inc. The leak is located about 11.5 feet
below the dam crest and causes a small stream of water to arch away from the dam
about three feet before splashing onto a concrete apron near the dam base. The
engineers have identified no specific cause for the leak, although a construction joint
and nearby cast iron pipe are likely contributors. According to dam records, the 12-inch
cast iron outlet pipes have required occasional repairs in the past. The PE recommends
the city conduct a test to confirm whether the leak originates in the piping as a first
step. The other likely candidate for the leak considered by engineers was an overlooked
sliver of wood left on the concrete forms as part of the original construction. This type
of repair would involve the injection of grout into the hole. The city has filed a report
of its findings to the California Division of Safety of Dams. Built in 1927, Morris
Reservoir is the main water supply for the city.
Source: http://www.willitsnews.com/ci_15962980
51. August 31, Bismarck Tribune – (North Dakota) Marmarth dike decertified. For 50
years, a dike has protected the storied town of Marmarth, North Dakota, from flooding
by the Little Missouri River. The dike remains, but it was officially decertified by
federal officials in July. It will disappear from the Slope County flood map within 1
year. The Marmarth mayor said her small town has been fighting with flood officials
for more than a decade over the dike’s condition. Where they finally parted ways was
over the gumbo clay that does not have established topsoil and vegetation. She said the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bulldozed a bald, gumbo butte to build the levee in
1959. There have been other issues with flood officials in past years, such as fences on
the dike, established trees and driving trails, but the gumbo, actually bentonite clay,
was the proverbial straw. The consequence of a decertified dike is that lenders may
require flood insurance for loans to build or improve property in town, which without a
certified dike will be mapped as a flood plain.
Source: http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/article_903ac160-b545-11dfb4fb-001cc4c03286.html
For another story, see item 27
[Return to top]
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DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report Contact Information
About the reports - The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is a daily [Monday through Friday]
summary of open-source published information concerning significant critical infrastructure issues. The DHS Daily
Open Source Infrastructure Report is archived for ten days on the Department of Homeland Security Web site:
http://www.dhs.gov/iaipdailyreport
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Send mail to cikr.productfeedback@hq.dhs.gov or contact the DHS
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To report physical infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact the National Infrastructure
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To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US-CERT at soc@us-cert.gov or visit
their Web page at www.us-cert.gov.
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material.
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