CHP SPOTTERS WATCH FOR SABOTAGE ONLY ONE CHOPPER FOR ENTIRE COUNTY.

Byline: Amy Raisin Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - California Highway Patrol helicopter pilot Robert Roth and partner Brian Lee swept over green hills, concrete highways and portions of the Los Angeles Aqueduct Thursday, hoping nothing stood out.

Charged with patrolling the state's bridges, waterways and other potential terrorism targets since the 9-11 attacks, the CHP this week ordered 24-hour air and ground patrols as the threat of war in Iraq became reality.

Local law enforcement agencies understand that the Los Angeles Aqueduct system, which supplies 430 million gallons of water to Los Angeles each day, would prove a tempting target for terrorists. The CHP also patrols the California Aqueduct, which roughly follows Interstate 5 and serves much of the Southland, including Santa Clarita.

``It's not just going to be one guy walking up to the aqueduct and contaminating the water,'' Lee, a flight officer, said as he scanned a portion of the aqueduct high above Lancaster. ``A big concern is blowing a section up to where you have serious, serious water loss.''

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power isn't taking any chances. In addition to increased security at water and power plant facilities across the county, the DWP announced Thursday it will double its testing of water to 225,000 times a year.

Times have changed since Sept. 10, 2001, when law enforcement aircraft provided a tactical advantage in ground pursuits and disasters. Today, Lee scans freeway overpasses and little-traveled back roads for everything from stalled trucks to footprints on dirt paths.

``If we see a vehicle or truck or even pedestrian tracks leading to the aqueduct, that's something out of the ordinary,'' Lee said. ``If a truck is just stopped under an overpass, we let units on the ground know and they check it out.''

During their Thursday morning patrol of the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, Lee and Roth spotted colleagues on the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway performing random radiation checks on big rigs near Via Princessa, looking for dangerous cargo.

While U.S. troops fight a war half a world away, CHP officers have responded to the nation's orange, or ``high,'' terror alert level by canceling vacations and logging 12-hour shifts.

The estimated cost of the increased security is not known, but two weeks of CHP overtime logged last time the nation was placed on Orange Alert cost the state $1 million, according to the Associated Press.

Roth, an eight-year veteran with the CHP, said budget constraints have left the organization with only one helicopter to cover all of Los Angeles County. Faced with 24-hour patrols, that leaves no time to train badly needed additional pilots.

``Obviously, every possible (terrorist) scenario could never be covered or controlled,'' he said. ``That just means we have to take note of everything we see up here.''

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Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color; 1 -- ran in SAC edition only) CHP flight officer Brian Lee, above, scans the California Aqueduct for unusual activity north of Palmdale on the first day of war with Iraq. Left, CHP pilot Robert Roth, left, and Lee patrol Los Angeles County to watch for terrorism or sabotage.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer