FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (WHDH) — Police said there is no evidence of water tampering after three broken locks were discovered along the Hultman Aqueduct in Framingham on Monday.
The Hultman Aqueduct Facility is one of the two main lines that carry drinking water from a treatment plant in Marlboro to the greater Boston area.
Utility crews noticed padlocks cut off three hatchways to the pipes. There is a half mile between each hatchway. Police said evidence suggests there was an attempt to cut a fourth lock. There were no other attempts to defeat additional security measures.
“That’s scary, that’s just scary,” said Mindy Zakrzewski, a scared resident. “I think we should be aware of the possibility that our infrastructure could be attacked and there are people that would like to attack our infrastructure.”
Massachusetts State Police said their investigation found no evidence of any crime other than vandalism.
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority released a statement Monday saying “There is no evidence that there was any attempt to disrupt or contaminate the water supply. MWRA's real-time water quality monitoring shows no change in water quality nor any sign of contamination.”
On May 14, there was another scare connected to the state’s water supply. State police said they found a group of trespassers of Middle Eastern descent walking near the closed Quabbin Reservoir after midnight. The group was cited for trespassing, but investigators said they found no evidence of further criminal activity.
But neighbors said they’re not comfortable.
“I have a six-year-old son and a two and a half-year-old so, I just, I thought we were in a safe neighborhood, said Mae Rezk, a concerned neighbor.
State police said there is no evidence that any of the interior security measures at the Hultman Aqueduct Facility were tampered with.
There are additional security measures below the padlocks and investigators said they were not tampered with.