By Will Sarni It is estimated that currently 844 million people live without clean water, and 2.3 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation, according to water.org. Water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the world’s population, and this figure is projected to rise due to increasedRead More

By Sielen Namdar Traveling through the dry desert of the American west, no ponds, lakes, creeks or even puddles to be seen, you might never expect a sprawling system of thousands of miles of water supply pipelines sitting just under your feet. These pipelines are bringing water to large metropolitanRead More

The recent Colonial Pipeline cyberattack illustrates the broader financial effects that can result from attacks on critical public infrastructure, Fitch Ratings says. A breach of critical assets, such as power or water supply or public transportation, that halts service could result in widespread public and private sector shutdowns if utilitiesRead More

  Water and sewer credit ratings incorporate an assessment of an entity’s resiliency to manage unexpected events, including cyberattacks, which could pose financial and operating risks that ultimately affect utility credit quality, Fitch Ratings says. Event risks like cyberattacks are considered asymmetric risks per Fitch’s criteria, and are viewed throughRead More

In February, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced the release of the funding notice for eight different types of preparedness grants worth nearly $1.87 billion. Together, these programs provide more than $1.8 billion in critical funding to assist our state and local partners in building and sustaining capabilitiesRead More

Just days before Super Bowl LV kicked off in Tampa Bay, a water system in nearby Oldsmar, Florida, was the target of a cyber attack, renewing concerns around a major vulnerability for water utilities. The hack briefly multiplied the amount of sodium hydroxide, or lye, used in the city’s waterRead More

The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) released its annual Safety Benchmarking Report earlier in April. During a time of unprecedented concern for the health and safety of working in areas that are critical to the ongoing response to COVID-19, the benchmark study demonstrates the approach of NAWC member companiesRead More

America’s Water Infrastructure Act Brings New Emergency Response and Resilience Requirements By Will Williams & Ahmet Ozman Even those of us who were not Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts can recite the Scouting motto. “Be Prepared” originally meant to be watchful and ready for anything, which made Scouts invaluable for patrolRead More

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) today announced the release of the updated Water Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Guidance and the accompanying assessment tool. These new resources are aligned revisions to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework version 1.1 and requirements in Section 2013 of America’sRead More

As Cybersecurity Awareness Month continues, the American Water Works Association has released a guide that highlights how water utilities can manage the risk of cyber attacks on water infrastructure systems. The free online guide, titled Cybersecurity Risk & Responsibility in the Water Sector, notes that “Cyber risk is the top threat facing business andRead More