Terrorism ruled out as towns probe water supply break-in
BLACKSTONE, Mass. --Residents stocked up on bottled water and wondered where they would shower Tuesday, after someone broke into the area's water supply facility and left behind a 5-gallon container that had an odor.
Ed Coletta, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, said the container was found on top of a 1.3 million-gallon tank that supplies water to Blackstone and the neighboring community of North Smithfield, R.I.
Authorities have ruled out terrorism, and the FBI has decided not to pursue the case, Dr. David Gifford, director of the Rhode Island Health Department, said Tuesday at a news conference.
Officials were unsure whether the empty bucket they found belonged to the water supply company that uses the facility. It was clear, however, that someone did force their way into the water tank.
The DEP issued a statement warning residents they should not "ingest or have the water contact their skin, and should not wash clothes or dishes; flushing of toilets is permissible" until given further notice.
Water from the facility serves nearly 9,000 residents in Blackstone and in North Smithfield about four dozen homes get water from the tank. The towns are about 55 miles south of Boston.
The container and water were being tested for biological or chemical contaminants, Gifford said. Results were not expected until Wednesday.
There have been no reports of illness but residents remain cautious.
Customers started coming to the White Hen
Store clerk Charlene Gignac said she had taken a shower this morning before she heard about the break-in.
"I'm wondering, 'OK, how bad is it?'" she said, "But I still have a pulse and I'm still kicking."
Gignac said she thinks the act was probably one of vandalism, but some customers have expressed lingering worries about terrorism.
Outside the store, Mike Lemay, 44, said he took a shower and brushed his teeth this morning before he heard about the break-in. Even so, he said he wasn't worried. He laughed that some people were worried about terrorism.
"I think that's a little overblown for a little town like this. I think they would go for something bigger."
Across the street, Lori Wadsworth, 40, said authorities should have warned residents sooner. Her family stocked up on water but were debating where to shower. She didn't think fears about terrorism were overblown since Sept. 11.
"We wouldn't have thought twice about it. We would have thought it was mischievous kids. We're a small town," she said. "Now you're wondering 'Could it be?' Who would come to Blackstone to terrorize the citizens here. But you're wondering 'Could it be?'"
Some businesses such as coin-operated laundries and restaurants closed for the day.
School officials locked down the bathrooms, rented portable toilets and provided bottled water, juice and milk for students Tuesday, said Kathleen Montagano, assistant superintendent of the Blackstone-Millville district.
"Other than that, the kids are in class and they all seem to be fine," she said.
Blackstone schools will be closed Wednesday.
Officials said someone cut barbed wire to enter the water supply facility late Monday, cut the lines to an alarm, and then damaged an electrical panel and a vent at the top of a 1.3-million-gallon storage tank.
Blackstone police said they had reports Monday night of teenagers fleeing the scene.
Massachusetts officials discovered the security breach at 9 a.m. Tuesday when an employee went to deactivate the alarm. Rhode Island officials said they received a phone call about the incident at 10:15 a.m. and had police going door-to-door to the 44 affected homes that use the water within an hour.
North Smithfield Town Administrator Robert Lowe said Tuesday that the sophistication of the break-in unnerved him.
If the intruder didn't damage the towns' water supply, Lowe wondered what was the purpose of the vandalism.
"It just shocks you," he said.
