News Briefs: Communities Selected for EPA Discussions on Lead In Drinking Water

Also in this week's sewer and water news, a new report from the Department of Homeland Security says cyberattacks against water/wastewater networks are likely to continue

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the 10 communities that have been selected for virtual roundtable discussions on EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule revisions. The roundtables will foster dialogue on the experience of communities that are affected by lead in drinking water as the agency reviews the LCR to ensure that it supports EPA’s priorities.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, EPA is committed to ensuring that the revised Lead and Copper Rule protects communities from lead — especially lower income people, communities of color and other vulnerable populations,” says EPA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “These roundtable discussions will highlight the challenge of lead in drinking water facing hundreds of communities, from big cities to small towns.”

EPA’s community roundtables will kick off on June 3 with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The agency will also host roundtables with Newark, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; Benton Harbor and Highland Park, Michigan (combined); Flint and Detroit, Michigan (combined); Malden, Massachusetts; Memphis, Tennessee.; and Newburgh, New York. The community roundtables will include local public water utilities, community organizations, environmental groups and public officials. The roundtables will be live-streamed.

Cyberattacks on Utilities Likely to Continue, Says DHS Report

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis recently released a report titled “Malicious Cyber Actors Likely to Continue Exploiting Vulnerabilities in Water and Wastewater Systems Networks.”

In the new report, the Office of Intelligence and Analysis states that high-profile cyberattacks against water and wastewater systems are likely to increase as criminal, nation-state and terrorist cyber actors seek to exploit enduring vulnerabilities to achieve financial, geopolitical, or ideological objectives.

“We base this assessment on successful cyber actor targeting since at least 2018 — and as recent as February 2021 — of United States and foreign water/wastewater sector networks,” states the report. “Malicious cyber activity against United States and international water facilities is common and typically undertaken to secure ransom payments, highlight political or social causes, or the sector is targeted in the context of a broader geopolitical issue or conflict.”

To read the full report, click here.

New Federal Funds Available for COVID-19 Wastewater-Based Epidemiology

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently selected Biobot Analytics to partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to monitor the presence of SARs-CoV-2 in wastewater on a national scale.

NACWA is encouraging utilities to participate in this federally sponsored program that has no cost to utilities.

This is a 10-week program and aims to cover 100 million Americans across all 50 states and United States territories. The associated costs will be covered by HHS, but utilities must first register, and participation is limited. To enroll, click here.



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