A new initiative to enhance cybersecurity for U.S. water infrastructure has been launched by federal lawmakers, including the introduction of the Water Cyber Shield Act. This legislation aims to improve federal oversight and funding for water security, granting the EPA the authority to conduct cybersecurity assessments. It allocates $300 million annually for cybersecurity upgrades and mandates risk assessments and incident reporting for large water systems.
Concurrently, the Water Watch Center has been established to assist small, under-resourced utilities in implementing cyber protections. This initiative includes partnerships with cybersecurity firms to provide managed services and is supported by venture funding from Craig Newmark.