All levels of government care a lot more about security today than they did before the tragic events of September 11, 2001. See that security camera in the photo below? It’s watching you while you’re in the parking lots of City Center.
And see that darkened glass 1/2 sphere on the ceiling in the photo below? That camera is watching you too while you’re inside City Center.
And do you see that thing on the wall (the one on the right)? It’s a card-reader for employee identification badges. You can’t get into City buildings or facilities without the appropriate identification and clearances during non-public hours. We keep track of who is going in and out of our buildings through analysis of employee access, just to make sure there is nothing funny going on.
Now here’s a security measure that you might not have recognized. This facility is at our Water Treatment Plant. Technically, it’s on the grounds of our Water Treatment Plant, but it is outside the security perimeter of the plant.
This device dispenses potable water. You get 1,000 gallons for a dollar. The City gets frequent requests to purchase mass quantities of potable water from pool and spa owners, private parking lot cleaners, and to landscapers. It’s not an unreasonable request and we’ve figured out a way to fulfill it and keep our Water Plant secure.
In the old days, if you needed a couple of thousand gallons of water, you’d find a Water Department employee and just open up a hydrant. Then, cities began to insert some order and process into these transactions and required water buyers to come to a defined location, such as a Water Plant for this service. Cities also wanted to make sure that the water was actually paid for, unlike the open-the-hydrant-days.
Now we’re at the next generation of that transaction. We want to provide that service, but we are not comfortable with people driving and parking strange trucks so close to our Water Treatment Plant. Security issues are a concern to us. So, we’ve built this station outside the security gates and made it available on a self-service basis.
Four quarters will get you a 1,000 gallons on water. It’s a good deal, and it’s more secure for our plant.
