After a major leak in a raw water line, the mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, signed an executive order asking residents to reduce their water consumption.

Apparently, treatment plant operators noticed some water pressure losses at the raw water pump station, along with some turbidity issues.

Workers have narrowed the location of the leak to a 2-mile radius, but floodwaters from tropical storm Claudette have covered the area.

FBI Investigating Water Treatment Plant Hacking in San Francisco

Just as the Water Sector Coordinating Council released the results of a survey showing the cybersecurity preparedness levels of the water industry, a story surfaced about the FBI looking into a hacker’s attempt to poison the water at a San Francisco Bay Area treatment facility.

The hacker used the remote login credentials of a former employee and deleted programs the treatment plant was using to treat its water.

The cyberattack was discovered the next day, and officials reinstalled the programs and changed its passwords.

EPA Announces $569 Million WIFIA Loan for Fargo-Moorhead, Minnesota

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a $569 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan for a project to increase climate resilience for communities in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area in Minnesota by reducing flood risks. This project will provide critical health and the environmental protections and create thousands of jobs while EPA’s WIFIA loan will save the community hundreds of millions of dollars, according to EPA.

“This project illustrates that strong partnerships can be forged through investments in water infrastructure,” says EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Through water infrastructure, we can address local challenges while creating good paying jobs.”