FORCES MOVE TO GUARD REGION'S WATER SUPPLY.

Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Public access has been halted, extra security is in place, official Web sites have been taken off the Internet and officials are seeking federal funds for a massive effort to protect Southern California's far-flung water system from terrorist attack.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, security forces have been increased and placed on high alert along aqueducts and support systems that import water hundreds of miles through sparsely populated desert terrain.

Largely open to the elements and mainly protected by fences, the aqueducts are seen as potentially vulnerable to sabotage. But local water officials said Tuesday that they are prepared to react to a bomb or other attack that could sever a main water source. They also said that increased testing and treatment would forestall any water contamination by biological or chemical agents.

A recent state study, predicated on the impact of a large earthquake, estimated it could take three to six months to repair a severed aqueduct.

``We have increased security and sealed off access at all locations, placed staff at automated facilities and increased ground and aerial patrols and water testing,'' said Eric Tharp, director of public affairs for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He said the DWP is also prepared should an attack cripple the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which imports 50 percent of the city's water supply from the Owens Valley.

``We have adequate supply stored in reservoirs south of the aqueduct,'' Tharp said. ``We are confident we could continue service for several months while repairs are made.

``We've closed all of our facilities to the public, quadrupled security forces and stepped up patrols,'' said Bob Muir, spokesman for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which imports 50 percent of the region's water from the Colorado River via the 244-mile Colorado Aqueduct.

Muir said the MWD is receiving assistance from the U.S. Forest Service in patrolling remote desert areas, pumping stations, dams and reservoirs.

``We've also taken down Internet Web sites that gave the public maps and other details of our system,'' he said.

Several bills moving through Congress call for the federal government to reimburse local agencies for added security costs related to the current terrorism alert.

Both DWP and MWD officials said they have so far been able to handle the added costs and that they foresee no rate increases for customers. But they also said they would support some form of federal assistance for local water agencies.

Most Southland cities are heavily dependent on imported water. Groundwater sources in the San Fernando Valley and other area basins fill only 15 percent of Los Angeles' needs.

The DWP's 338-mile Los Angeles Aqueduct runs from Mono Lake to the Valley and supplies 50 percent of the city's water.

The MWD's Colorado Aqueduct extends from the Colorado River to reservoirs in Riverside County. It supplies 35 percent of Los Angeles water.