Madison – The installation of surveillance cameras at 32 critical Madison Water Utility sites will enhance the security of the community’s water supply, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and County Executive Kathleen Falk announced today.
“The safety of our drinking water is vitally important,” said Mayor Cieslewicz. “This new system will provide us with real-time surveillance of critical Water Utility facilities, providing an additional level of security for the community.”
The new $485,000 system was acquired with the assistance of a $388,000 Homeland Security Grant from the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance, secured in conjunction with Dane County. The Madison Water Utility provided the remaining $97,000.
“Dane County is always looking to leverage state and federal dollars to help our local communities,” County Executive Kathleen Falk said. “We were happy to assist the city of Madison improve this important piece of infrastructure.”
Security cameras have been installed at 32 Madison Water Utility sites, providing monitoring capability to pump operators. A large video display panel gives the pump operator a continuous view of each facility. The cameras provide 24-hour surveillance with alarm notification that allows the Utility to make real-time security decisions. Installing online video surveillance provides the utility with an early warning system that will be a deterrent to vandals and others who may wish to damage Utility facilities.
The grant was procured in the summer of 2007 and installation started during the fall of 2007. The system was started up and operational in February, with final adjustments will be completed this month. The system was developed by LongWatch Inc. of Norwood, Massachusetts and installed by RepLogix of Detroit, Michigan.
