York College Students Conduct Threat Assessment of Baltimore Water System

During the 2023 Fall Semester, an Advanced Intelligence Analysis class scrutinized the operation, which serves more than 1.8 million people in the city and across Baltimore County.

When Baltimore County’s nearly 2 million Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) customers turn on their taps, they expect to get clean, safe water. On its journey to the faucets of homes and businesses, that water traverses an intricate infrastructure system. At every step along the way, from open reservoirs vulnerable to contamination to treatment plants dependent on digital monitoring systems to pump stations that could be physically or digitally breached, the system presents potential targets for disruption. 

Natural disasters, cyberattacks, act of terrorism, insider threats, and even overlooked maintenance issues could compromise the water’s safety and the service’s reliability.

John Weaver, Doctor of Public Administration and Professor of Intelligence Analysis at York College of Pennsylvania, gave students in his Advanced Intelligence Analysis course a scenario to dissect. How could someone or something compromise Baltimore’s water system, and what would they recommend doing to protect against such threats? 

Armed with analytical tools and a directive to uncover vulnerabilities, the students began assessing threats to the critical infrastructure that people rely on every day. They conducted an extensive evaluation of physical, technological, and environmental vulnerabilities across the region’s water system.

From conversation to hands-on learning

Dr. Weaver continually looks for opportunities to apply what students learn in the classroom to real situations through experiential learning. In this case, what began as a casual conversation between his wife and the wife of the head of Baltimore’s DPW soon turned into a fall 2023 semester-long, professional-level threat assessment. 

Students used structured techniques they had studied in class, such as SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, and applied them to high-risk scenarios, including terrorism, cyberattacks, insider threats, and natural disasters.

“This is my Advanced Intel Class, a culmination course,” says Dr. Weaver. “We revisit structured analytical techniques. These are tools that the students have learned over the years.”

The students spent the first two months of the course gathering facts on Baltimore’s water supply, which has three water treatment plants and 30 pumping stations. After the research phase, they toured one treatment plant and one pumping station, evaluating factors such as perimeter fencing, surveillance camera coverage, cyber vulnerabilities, and disaster preparedness. 

They saw how water goes from a raw state to purification, and then is introduced to the main line and pumped to residences and businesses throughout the city and county. 

‘Valuable real-world applications’

Lee Morley ’24, a History major with a minor in Intelligence Analysis, found the experience insightful. 

“Applying that to a real-world scenario with such broad and important implications was a great opportunity, and it was a unique chance to see how what we were learning could be applied,” he says. 

The class was divided into task-oriented teams, with Morley working on grading site security against U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards. His team’s proposals included using drone technology for automated perimeter checks, increasing police presence at critical facilities, and implementing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems for real-time monitoring. 

“A huge takeaway for me was the implications of the project,” Morley says. “With the large population supported by the site, being involved in a project reviewing the security of such a sensitive site was an exciting experience. It showed how what we were learning had valuable real-world applications, alongside showing how important such security reviews are for vital civil infrastructure.”

Shifting career trajectories

Colin Kane ’26, an Intelligence Analysis major with a minor in Criminology and Criminal Justice, felt a sense of honor as well as urgency when he learned about the assessment that the class would conduct. 

“This project felt like real work was being done to protect the people of Baltimore County,” he says. 

Through the project, he realized that while completing their undergraduate education, he and his peers could play an important role in their communities. 

“York College has given me the opportunity to complete real-world projects that have a real impact,” he says. 

The experience has influenced career trajectories. Morley has developed a deeper interest in pursuing public service, particularly in relation to national security. It also made him more aware of the importance of safeguarding civil infrastructure as a matter of national security. 

Similarly, Colin has felt compelled to look into public service-related careers. 

Preparing students for the workforce

Dr. Weaver, who brings two decades of military and government service experience to the classroom, views these applied lessons as essential to training students to excel in the workforce. 

“I approach my classes with, ‘How can I differentiate my students from other students majoring in the same thing so when they’re applying for jobs, my students’ resumes stand out because they have real-world recognition and experiences?’” he says. 

The students’ work was so well received that Baltimore’s DPW invited them to return and assess additional sites. For many of the students, the project served as a resume-building exercise highlighting their readiness to contribute to national security and public service even before graduation. 

Dr. Weaver is seeking similar partnerships for future classes, knowing that by blending rigorous academic training with on-site application, the York College Intelligence Analysis program will continue to prepare students to not just enter the workforce but to shape it.