Vandalism floods Wausau booster station; staff recommends SCADA upgrades and cameras

Utility staff told the Wausau Water Works Commission on June 3 that vandals forced entry to a booster station on Old Coach Lane, opened valves and flooded equipment. The suspects later turned themselves in, and staff estimated damage at roughly $50,000.

Scott, a utility staff member who described the incident, said the vandals "turned themselves in after the fact, but, initially, kind of flooded the booster station." He said pumps were not operating when the station was flooded and that the equipment dried out without major damage, but the event could have been deadly given the presence of 480-volt power.

"We initially tried them the day it was flooded, and and nothing worked. So we're looking at probably $50,000 worth of damage," Scott said. A commissioner asked, "Could have been electrocuted?" to which Scott replied, "Yes. Mhmm."

Commissioners pressed staff on whether the city could do more to secure remote facilities. Lehman said staff plans to return to the commission with an action item on security upgrades: "We're looking at upgrading our SCADA system. Some of the upgrades we're gonna do are gonna allow us to have more video capacity so we can add cameras... We would also like to look at maybe possibly doing some fencing or some other things too." Lehman noted existing intrusion alarms and motor sensors tied to SCADA but said remote locations can be vulnerable during response delays.

The police are investigating; staff said they will provide a damage report to law enforcement and bring security recommendations back to the commission for possible action.