Protection Strategies Incorporated (PSI), under subcontract to Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), provided comprehensive mission support services to the new Water Security Division within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Water. The division was established to address water security and critical infrastructure protection issues in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. EPA requirements included planning and training, contaminant research and database development of chemicals and their potential danger to water supplies, analytical method development, laboratory network management and engineering support. Additional EPA requirements were to help improve procedures and performance measures for assessing and mitigating the vulnerability of the nation's water infrastructure as well as security and emergency response improvements at water and wastewater facilities. The Bioterrorism Act requires community drinking water systems serving populations of more than 3,300 persons to conduct assessments of their vulnerabilities to terrorist attack or other intentional acts and to defend against adversarial actions that might substantially disrupt the ability of a system to provide a safe and reliable supply of drinking water. The requirements of the Act assigned EPA and water utilities responsibilities to enhance water sector security and to develop response measures for potential threats to the nation's water supplies and systems, as outlined below.

EPA works with other federal agencies (e.g. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, FBI, and DOD) and water sector organizations (e.g. Water Environment Research Foundation) to improve information on technologies and conduct research for water sector security. EPA continues to develop a series of individual Security Product Guides to assist water treatment plant operators and utility managers in reducing risks from, and providing protection against, possible natural disasters and intentional terrorist attacks. The guides provide information on a variety of products available to enhance physical security.

EPA's confidence in PSI was a testament to PSI's long history providing mission assurance support activities to both the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management and the U.S. Department of State Critical Infrastructure Protection and Office of Emergency Management Programs.