During the 2003 State of the Union address, President Bush announced that the federal government was “deploying the nation’s first early warning network of sensors to detect biological attack.”  The newly formed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was responsible for deployment and operation of the BioWatch Program.  The program includes three coordinated elements, sampling, analysis, and response.  ARCADIS was awarded a contract to support the sampling effort at selected locations.

ARCADIS implemented a management approach that fully met the 24/7/365 operational requirements of the program including the capability to respond within 24 hours to escalations in sampling frequency, deployment of additional samplers and deployment to additional geographic regions.  The program requires sample collections in rain, snow, and fair weather conditions from samplers dispersed over a wide geographic area. To date, ARCADIS field teams have collected more than 100,000 samples with a near perfect effectiveness record.  We have supported the program continuously since 2003.