The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) deployed
in the 1990's an asset management and customer service database.
Tracking of water quality-related calls began in 1999. The number of calls and spatial analysis of the number of calls received for water
quality-related calls demonstrate that consumers do call as a result of
sudden water quality changes. The analysis of consumer calls can play an
important role in identifying intentional contamination of a water supply. It
should complement data gathered from other sources that include real-time
on-line sensors, syndromic surveillance, and be used with mapping used for
distribution system models and consequence analysis. The present analysis
uses community districts which are political boundaries used for city service
delivery. Efforts are underway to map calls by pressure zones and automate
the mapping of calls in real-time. Includes tables, figures.