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Politics : Piffer Thread on Political Rantings and Ravings -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Augustus Gloop who wrote (7701)	3/26/2002 10:07:07 PM
From: Augustus Gloop	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14610

Package Causes Water Scare March 26, 2002 By COLIN POITRAS, Courant Staff Writer MIDDLEFIELD -- State and federal authorities were thrown into high alert Monday after a man was seen tossing a suspicious package into Middletown's public water supply off Route 66. The package - described as a bound plastic bag - was quickly recovered by state police divers and sent to a state lab for testing. Preliminary tests showed it contained an unidentified "starchy" substance that is not considered a health threat, Middletown Mayor Domenique Thornton said. More tests on both the package and the water supply are planned for today. Thornton assured residents their public water is safe to drink. "The water supply has been secured," State Police spokesman Sgt. Paul Vance said Monday night. "There are no contamination concerns whatsoever." The plastic bag, recovered about 15 feet from shore, did not show any signs of punctures or signs that it leaked, he said. Middletown officials immediately shut down the filtration plant at the Mount Higby Reservoirs after state police alerted them to a possible contamination threat at about 5:30 p.m. The reservoirs, although located in Middlefield, are owned by Middletown and serve as a backup water supply for all of the city's 44,000 residents, including thousands of students at Wesleyan University and hundreds of juvenile delinquents housed at Long Lane and the new Connecticut Juvenile Training School. The city's water system was drawing directly from the city's main underground aquifer as an extra precaution Monday night. Thornton said that system will remain in place until all the testing is done and the reservoir filtration plant is turned back on. There was no interruption of water service at any time Monday, officials said. A passing motorist called police at about 5:30 p.m. after seeing a man pull off the road and toss something into the south side of the reservoir, Vance said. The report immediately sent local, state and federal officials into full alert. Investigators with the FBI, state police, state Department of Environmental Protection and state Department of Public Health descended on the scene. Middlefield firefighters, water department officials and Middletown and Meriden police also responded. Monday evening, a state police helicopter used an infrared imaging camera to scan the woods and shores of the reservoirs on the Middletown-Middlefield town line, but found nothing. "Since 9/11, we are exercising due caution and any incidents involving a public water supply or watershed are going to be the subject of a full criminal investigation," Vance said. Authorities were still looking for the man who tossed the package late Monday night. He was last seen driving a dark, full-sized car with tinted windows, police said. Word of the possible water contamination spread quickly in Middletown on Monday night. While some officials and residents quietly criticized authorities for not alerting people sooner, Middletown Fire Chief Robert Ross said he was comfortable with the way the incident was handled. The city recently installed new fencing around parts of the reservoir in order to improve security, but it apparently did not prevent the man from tossing the plastic bag into the water. Courant Staff Writer Stephen Busemeyer contributed to this story.