The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) owns a variety of assets that are a part of our nation’s critical infrastructure and that enhance the lives of our citizens.

Tetra Tech performed a wide range of rapid assessment, design, and construction services for the protection of dams and powerhouses at eight large reservoirs and hydroelectric plants owned by USACE.

The design of the security elements (electronic and physical) takes into account procedural activities by USACE personnel to reduce risk to this critical infrastructure, both at normal times and at times of elevated threats.

The physical security enhancements designed and installed by Tetra Tech include hardening the dam intake and tower structures through the installation of vehicle barriers, fences, and lights. The electronic security systems include integrated intrusion detection, access control, and closed circuit television (CCTV) systems, as follows:

• Intrusion detection system includes interior dual technology space alarms and exterior mono- and bi-static microwave sensor
• Access control system includes both interior and exterior doors equipped with proximity card readers (some with PINs for high-alert levels), electronic locks, and balanced magnetic switches
• CCTV system includes both fixed and pan-tilt-zoom CCTV cameras for assessment and the use of infrared illuminators

The integrated electronic security system includes automated CCTV system linked to the alarms at each facility, including remote video motion detection systems with alarm processing and digital video recording.

To develop the new security systems, Tetra Tech integrated risk and vulnerability findings into our design so that the lowest level of risk was obtained considering the available funds.