December 19, 2003

By: Holly Rebekah
Website: http://www.water-purification-filters.com

Motion media protects drinking water with video surveillance solutions

One of the consequences of the post-9/11 era is the national concern over the security of water treatment facilities. This is a case study of how a county in Georgia utilizes state of the art video surveillance solutions from Motion Media to protect its citizens' water supply.

In the U.S., more than 3,000 water treatment facilities are responsible for providing clean and safe water. Since September 11, cities large and small have come to grips with the human exposure and financial costs that a contaminated water supply may bring. For example, in 1993 more than 400,000 people in Milwaukee, Wisconsin became ill from a biological contaminant (cryptosporidium) that passed undetected through the Milwaukee Water System. According to the Center of Disease Control, 69 people died and the outbreak cost the city an estimated $96.2 million in related hospital and medical expenses. Clearly, a planned attack on any city water treatment facility could have significantly greater and more severe consequences.

In our case, Bruce Hedges of Home Security Systems, Inc is a front-line defender on the war against terror. For nearly a year now, Bruce has been instrumental in helping to keep one of Georgia's water treatment facilities safe and secure.

The County involved is a small, bedroom community not far from Atlanta. Like many other cities and counties across the County relies on water treatment facilities that are located off the beaten path. These facilities, typical in many ways, include pump stations, ponds to oxygenate sewage, generators and power transformers. Like thousands of other water treatment facilities, the County's plants are automated, which requires minimal supervision and often are unattended.

Because of the rural location and unmanned operation, the Treatment facility, makes for an exposed target. However, Bruce Hedges and the County have taken steps to ensure their water supply remains safe and secure.

For nearly 20 years Bruce Hedges' company, Home Security Systems, dealt exclusively in the home security business, but since 9/11, the company provides remote security and surveillance solutions to businesses and local government facilities -including water treatment plants.

One of the primary challenges in securing this facility was the need to create a system that could monitor all of the plant's key fixtures, as well as security gates, from a safe and secure location. Surveillance cameras needed to be robust in design, flexible in their deployment, and cost-effective. As well, a video software solution was required so that remote video transmission could be viewed and recorded from a central and secure location.

Hedges convinced the County to use his plan and Motion Media's video communications. He selected the Motion Media eyesite® series of video transceivers and utilized the Motion Media eyesite for Windows® PRO software to provide a complete video surveillance defense to the water treatment facilities.

The Motion Media eyesite line of video surveillance systems offer a variety of features that the Home Security Group needed. The transceivers are stand-alone units and are optimized to operate over low-bandwidth networks (32-to-160kbps). This eliminates the need for additional computers as well as high-bandwidth or custom networks. As well, the eyesite family is designed to interoperate with most alarm panels, sensors and motion detectors, thus providing a flexible platform.

The eyesite for Windows PRO software runs on a secure PC, simultaneously links up to six remote eyesite units and can connect to hundreds of different remote sites. With it, anyone can view and record multiple live images, listen to real-time audio, and adjust camera view positions on the fly. Security configuration settings can be arranged so that automated "call" alarms are triggered and sent when a visual intruder is verified.

"With Motion Media's transceivers and management software, employees can keep a watchful eye over the County's water plants 24x7," said Bruce Hedges of Home Security Systems. "Additional alarm triggering and notification features give instant notification if an unauthorized person should enter a plant or tamper with its fixtures. This gives the county a preventive deterrent and immediate means to cost-effectively tackle security."

As cities and counties across the country examine vital infrastructure risks, local governments will need to rely on system providers like the Home Security Systems to install and help manage solutions, such as Motion Media's video surveillance systems, to help keep our water and other infrastructures protected. By doing so, even small communities become less of a target of opportunity and citizens everywhere gain a sense of increased security and protection.

Author Notes:

Holly Rebekah contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.water-purification-filters.com.  Get educated on the benefits of water purification systems and different water filters available.