Suspicious incident at major reservoir in MA

[preCRT]

This just doesn't 'smell' right. Hope to hell they were just stupid students not doing or plotting anything. The Quabbin is the largest reservoir in the state, supplying water to a large number of towns in greater Boston in addition to Boston itself. What the hell were they doing out there at midnight, with temps about 30º?

Mass. Police investigate reservoir trespassing
AP / May 14, 2013

BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (AP) — Massachusetts state police say they and the FBI are investigating a trespassing incident at the Quabbin Reservoir but have no evidence of terrorism.

The central Massachusetts reservoir supplies drinking water to Boston.

State Police spokesman David Procopio says Tuesday night that a trooper saw two cars parked at a reservoir park entrance at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, then saw five young men and two young women walking toward them from the reservoir.

Procopio said they are from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Singapore with addresses in Amherst, Cambridge, Sunderland and Northampton, and New York City. He said law enforcement databases show no warrants, detainers or advisories on them.

The men told police they are recently graduated chemical engineers curious about the reservoir.

Procopio said they will be summoned to court later on trespassing charges.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...trespassing/Ml1qIMt8eMhu3TM8pXzUeJ/story.html

 

[KidNiki1]

one worm kills the world

 

[HardcoreRobot]

should be easy to check the story out

 

[spaceman]

-.-

 

[Vdubchaos]

I'm pretty sure our factories pollute our drinking water million times more than ANY terrorist can.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poisonedwaters/

Besides, what could they have possibly done anyways?

Typical American paranoia about shit that doesn't really matter, while we ignore the big elephant in the room.

 

[lxskllr]

Merry Pranksters :^D

 

[Capt Caveman]

I'm pretty sure our factories pollute our drinking water million times more than ANY terrorist can.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poisonedwaters/

Besides, what could they have possibly done anyways?

Typical American paranoia about shit that doesn't really matter, while we ignore the big elephant in the room.

/facepalm

 

[NetWareHead]

Besides, what could they have possibly done anyways?

Quoted for stupidity.

 

[TwiceOver]

Ohh the old "We're recently graduated chemical engineers" bit. Works every time.

 

[lxskllr]

Quoted for stupidity.

So, what could they have done? What ingredient could be added to a reservoir that wouldn't be diluted to meaninglessness?

 

[preCRT]

Something could have been added not in the middle of the reservoir but just before the pumping station.


They did park & enter at a spot specifically marked as no trespassing.

 

[rh71]

probably really students, but pretty stupid to be doing anything suspicious in MA right now.

 

[Capt Caveman]

So, what could they have done? What ingredient could be added to a reservoir that wouldn't be diluted to meaninglessness?

Or destroying the pumping station from the reservoir to the aqueduct that feeds metro Boston cutting off the water supply?

 

[xBiffx]

So, what could they have done? What ingredient could be added to a reservoir that wouldn't be diluted to meaninglessness?

You serious?

Doesn't take a Chemical Engineer to figure that one out.

 

[Hoober]

You serious?

Doesn't take a Chemical Engineer to figure that one out.

You realize water's treated and monitored when it's pumped from reservoirs, right?

 

[lxskllr]

You serious?

Doesn't take a Chemical Engineer to figure that one out.

So figure it out. I asked a specific question. If you have the answer, answer it...

 

[KB]

Most poisons would not survive the purification process so I am not sure what people are so scared about. Not to mention if you put poison in a reservour it will be greatky diluted, not sure even ricin would be deadly at that level of dilution.

I still don't buy their story though.

 

[xBiffx]

So figure it out. I asked a specific question. If you have the answer, answer it...

Here's a hint.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterborne_diseases

Hence why it doesn't take a Chemical Engineer.

 

[lxskllr]

Here's a hint.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterborne_diseases

Hence why it doesn't take a Chemical Engineer.

I see. So the stuff that's already in the water, and gets killed by the purification process. I guess they were gonna get jobs at the facility, and turn off the Clorox tap once they were in :^D

 

[Genx87]

They probably pissed in the reservoir! Time to drain it and scrub! And send them to gitmo on distributing WMD charges.

 

[xBiffx]

I see. So the stuff that's already in the water, and gets killed by the purification process. I guess they were gonna get jobs at the facility, and turn off the Clorox tap once they were in :^D

Guess you don't understand that the purification process ends at some point.

Also, you don't understand the limitations of the purification process to begin with. Dumping in bleach only works to a point. That is unless you are trying to kill the people who are using that water.

 

[crashtestdummy]

It would not shock me at all that this was an honest mistake. There are a lot of trails around the Quabbin, some of which go right down to the water, but there are also a lot of areas deemed off limits. It's not always obvious which is which. If they really wanted to poison that water, they could have gotten a fishing license (they have those for part of the reservoir), gone out on a boat, and dumped stuff off of that.

I can guarantee you that if it were not for the nationalities of those students, they would not have been arrested.

 

[Hoober]

Guess you don't understand that the purification process ends at some point.

Yes, but it doesn't end when rainwater is collected in reservoirs.

 

[lxskllr]

Guess you don't understand that the purification process ends at some point.

I'm pretty sure it ends when it leaves the plant, though there may be some bolstering at elevated tanks.

 

[techs]

There are very few things you could put in the water that won't be diluted so much as to be harmless.

You can see everything from the parts around the reservoir that you can from the no trespassing area.

The paranoia is amazing.

Probably just a prank or some kids getting high.