Tag: PWS

EPA withdraws controversial cybersecurity memorandum amid legal battle with states, water associations

EPA withdraws controversial cybersecurity memorandum amid legal battle with states, water associations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has withdrawn its March 2023 cybersecurity memorandum, which urged states to assess the cybersecurity of operational technology (OT) within public water systems during sanitary surveys or other state initiatives. Citing ongoing litigation (State of…

US Court pauses EPA Cybersecurity Rule for AWWA, NRWA water utility members

US Court pauses EPA Cybersecurity Rule for AWWA, NRWA water utility members

A U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit granted last week a request from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Cybersecurity Rule from going…

Former water contractor employee tampers with water treatment systems, posing public health and safety threat

Former water contractor employee tampers with water treatment systems, posing public health and safety threat

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that a Tracy resident has been charged with computer attack on Discovery Bay Water Treatment facility's critical infrastructure, allegedly affecting the town’s critical infrastructure—the systems controlling its water treatment facility. The resident…

Water sector set to ramp up PWS cybersecurity using sanitary surveys, yet gaps are expected to persist

Water sector set to ramp up PWS cybersecurity using sanitary surveys, yet gaps are expected to persist

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled out last month a memorandum that calls for the evaluation of the cybersecurity of OT (operational technology) systems used by public water systems (PWSs), when conducting sanitary surveys or through other state programs.…