Citing cyber threats to the nation’s water infrastructure, Congressmen Rick Crawford (Arizona) and John Duarte (California) introduced H.R. 7922, “The Water Risk and Resilience Organization (WRRO) Establishment Act” on April 11.
The legislation establishes a new governing body, the WRRO, that would have cyber and water-system expertise and develop and enforce cybersecurity requirements for drinking and wastewater systems. The WRRO would work in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ensure cybersecurity measures are both practical and beneficial.
Water systems are cyber-hacking targets to disrupt the economy at the local level. Three-quarters of the nation’s community water systems are supplied by groundwater.
“Foreign adversaries such as Russia and China have utilized cyber-attacks to target critical infrastructure such as water systems,” Crawford said. “This bill is a more proactive approach to safeguarding our drinking and wastewater from these types of attacks. These protections are vital at a time where cyber threats are constant, and technology is evolving quickly.”
Cybersecurity breaches have already happened around the country. Before Thanksgiving in 2023, a small Pennsylvania water utility was breached by pro-Iran hackers. A Florida water treatment facility was hacked in 2021 and the hackers tried to increase the amount of beneficial chemicals in the water to unsafe levels. In February, the U.S. intelligence community reported that hackers have had a presence in many critical infrastructure systems in the country for potentially up to five years.
“With the constant threat of cyberattacks by our adversaries, the United States’ water infrastructure must be secured and defended properly,” Duarte said. “I am proud to help lead this crucial legislation with Representative Crawford to ensure that our wastewater and drinking water systems are adequately prepared to deal with potential cybersecurity threats.”
Click here to read the bill.