Michael Biasotti studied his town’s aging water infrastructure while taking the Critical Infrastructure: Vulnerability Analysis and Protection course at CHDS.

His study would eventually provide a map for the town of New Windsor, N.Y., where Biasotti is police chief, to find a new water source and potentially turn a $6 million annual expenditure for the town into a $20 million per year profit. Along with applying concepts of analyzing critical infrastructure, the action spurred by his study required collaboration with other agencies as well as the private sector.

In seeking a new water supply for the town, Biasotti worked with a steel manufacturing company to access the Hudson River and drill for an aquifer that will save the town millions of dollars while providing a more dependable water supply.

“We’re looking at what was a cost of $6 million a year (to New Windsor) is now a profit of $20 million,” he observed. “Getting the cities involved was in our and New York’s best interest.”
 
1)  The town of New Windsor’s major water source was the Catskill Aqueduct, which also supplies water to New York City. Reliance on that supply came with rates that were increasing yearly and the town was coping with occasional unexpected shutdowns. The only alternative when that occurred was to buy water from the neighboring city of Newburgh.

As he researched the town’s water supply and potential alternatives Biasotti discovered New York City identified the aquifer beneath the Hudson River in the early 1900s and it was identified once again during a 1980s drought. Biasotti envisioned drilling for that aquifer to seek a new supply for New Windsor.

The town was able to drill to the aquifer and discovered a source capable of providing 2.9 million gallons of water per day. Because it is aquifer water rather than surface water, it is less expensive to treat.
 
2) The project exemplifies collaboration that is crucial to homeland security practice. In researching, Biasotti collaborated with other town departments as well as a business owner. The town needed access to the river, but was thwarted in an attempt to build an access road on state-owned land. So, Biasotti enlisted the assistance of a steel fabricator with a shop situated along the river and who allowed the town use of his watercraft to deliver drilling rigs to the site without crossing state-owned property.

3) With the supply located, the next step is to build a pipeline to hook into the water system’s main distribution line, Biasotti said. That $10 million project is expected to take at least 18 months to complete. That will leave more water for New York City residents while providing a reliable source for New Windsor as well as some of its neighboring communities.