EPA Announces More Than $2.3 Million to Help Protect Drinking Water in Indiana from Cyberattacks and Extreme Weather Events
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $2,375,000 grant to Bloomington, Indiana to help protect against cybersecurity threats and improve resiliency during extreme weather events. This funding, through the Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability grant program, will support infrastructure projects in Bloomington, including installing equipment to protect again natural disasters. It affirms EPA’s commitment to ensuring all Americans have access to clean and safe drinking water.
“American families, businesses, and schools rely on their local drinking water system to provide clean and safe water, day-in and day-out. Cyberattacks, wildfires, flooding and other hazards represent a significant risk to water system operations, and EPA provides vital support to help increase resiliency to such threats,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jess Kramer. “With over $11 million in grant funding, EPA is helping ten drinking water systems strengthen their resilience to these risks while advancing best practices within the water sector. This funding is just one part of the equation and complements the agency’s technical assistance work and partnership with federal agencies, states, and the water sector to address cyberattacks and natural hazards.”
“Safe drinking water depends on systems that can keep working when conditions get tough—whether that’s a cyber incident, a severe storm, or another unexpected disruption,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel. “This investment helps Bloomington strengthen its water system so residents, schools, and businesses can count on reliable service and public health protection when they need it most.”
The city of Bloomington will use their grant funding to increase the water system’s resilience to natural hazards and extreme weather events through facility upgrades, backup generators, and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system upgrades.
The Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Grant Program supports building resilience against cyberattacks and natural hazards to strengthen vital water infrastructure across the country. Cyberattacks on critical water infrastructure have increased significantly, including high-profile attacks this year targeting more than 100 drinking water and wastewater systems across 12 states. At the same time, water infrastructure must have built-in resiliency to withstand natural hazards, such as wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, and flooding so they can continue their mission to deliver safe water uninterrupted to the communities they serve.
Awardees for this funding include public water systems that serve a population of 10,000 people or more, and the funding was competed through a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
This funding is another way EPA is partnering with federal agencies, states, and the water sector to strengthen cybersecurity in the water sector. Last year, EPA proactively identified cybersecurity vulnerabilities at 277 water systems and worked to fix the issues with individualized solutions ranging from authentication protocols to enforcing strict access controls along with other technical updates and restrictions. This work is continuing today. The agency also released new and updated planning tools that water systems across the country can use to help prevent and respond to cybersecurity incidents. EPA provides free cybersecurity technical assistance, assessments, training, and tools to help systems improve their cyber defenses. These resources, and more, are readily accessible at www.epa.gov/cyberwater.
For natural hazards, utilities can receive technical assistance to increase resilience through EPA’s Strengthening Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow (SWIFT) initiative. EPA also provides trainings on how to help utilities build resilience to cyberattacks and natural hazards. Utilities can visit EPA’s Water Utility Resilience Events webpage for a list of upcoming trainings. In addition, EPA offers self-help resources such as the Cybersecurity Risk Self-Assessment Resources, which help utilities systematically assess their own cybersecurity preparedness, and SWIFT’s Hazard Data Explorer, which helps utilities understand their unique natural hazard risks.
Learn more about this grant and EPA’s Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water grant programs at https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/drinking-water-grants.
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