Newsletter #415 for October 2, 2025
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October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month |
Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly critical for water and wastewater utilities as digital connectivity becomes more common. Now that more systems are linked than ever before, the threat of cyberattacks continues to grow. Staying informed and proactive is key so we’ve gathered a collection of resources designed to strengthen your cybersecurity awareness.
The list below includes guidance from U.S. EPA and CISA, training recordings, and tools to help utilities assess and improve their cybersecurity knowledge. Explore these links to strengthen your utility’s defenses and ensure the continued safety and reliability of our water systems.
Further Resources...
Throughout October, EPA will host webinars to share sector-specific data and trends, providing tools, best practices, and training opportunities for water utilities, system operators, IT professionals, and local leaders.
Upcoming Cybersecurity Webinars
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Cybersecurity Procurement Checklist Webinar
October 15, 2025 | 1:00PM EDT
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Join EPA for a free informative webinar on the new Cybersecurity Procurement Checklist, a resource designed to help water and wastewater utilities incorporate cybersecurity into the procurement process.
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Cybersecurity Vulnerability Scanning Webinar
October 30, 2025 | 1:00 PM EDT
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Join EPA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for the third quarterly overview of the most common cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified at water and wastewater systems via CISA’s Free Cyber Vulnerability Scanning for Water Utilities and EPA’s Proactive Vulnerability Identification Program for Water and Wastewater Systems.
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Office of Water Welcomes New Leadership |
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Jessica Kramer as the new Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Water. With a background in environmental law and water policy across federal, state, and private sectors, Kramer aims to advance the agency’s mission of safeguarding water resources while ensuring economic growth. Her appointment signals a focus on regulatory clarity, infrastructure investment, and collaboration with rural and underserved communities.
Kramer’s leadership is expected to accelerate progress under key statutes like the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.
More Perspectives... |
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TapTalk Season 6 is in Full Swing! |
Listen to episode 62 of TapTalk now! This episode, "The Olympics of Water Quality: WEFTEC’s Operations Challenge," discusses the Operations Challenge showcase that takes place at WEFTEC every year. This showcase is the Olympics of the industry, and it’s impossible to miss in WEFTEC’s exhibit hall. To mark the return of the
world’s largest water quality exhibition to Chicago, we welcomed Steve Harrison and Jeff Sober to the podcast. Steve, a WEF senior manager, and Jeff, Director of Water Services at Garver, are both members of the Operations Challenge Community. Their passion for the event makes clear its singular value to the industry!
WEFTEC took place this year from September 27th through October 1st in Chicago, IL. View the results of this year's Operations Challenge. Congratulations to all the winners!
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| Listen to Episode 62
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Featured Video |
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Supporting Rural Infrastructure After Hurricane Ian
Rural Community Assistance Partnership - RCAP
"When Hurricane Ian struck Hardee County, it didn’t just flood roads — it shattered lives. This is the story of a rural community fighting back, with RCAP and SERCAP by their side, rebuilding hope one step at a time."
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Free Webinar Opportunity: Rapid Restoration of Asheville’s Drinking Water System after Helene
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The recovery from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina has provided many lessons in infrastructure management. Particularly, the storm caused significant damage to the drinking water distribution system in Asheville. But, the city’s water resources department was able to work quickly and restore water service to customers!
To learn how they were able to do so, join the free webinar “Rapid Restoration of Asheville’s Drinking Water System after Hurricane Helene” on October 9 at 1:00 PM, hosted by UNC Charlotte and the North Carolina Collaboratory.
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Featured Video |
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How Michelle Mancuso Builds Trust to Support Struggling Wastewater Plantswaterloop
"Meet Michelle Mancuso of American Water.
Michelle is a licensed operator turned principal operations advisor, helping wastewater plants across the country solve tough problems—sometimes from thousands of miles away.
At American Water, Michelle supports teams in multiple states, jumping in when treatment plants face process challenges. The approach? Show up without judgment, build trust, and work side by side—even virtually—to get operations back on track.
'We're really here to help,' says Michelle. 'Just because I came from corporate doesn't mean I'm here to bust you.'
Michelle was a participant in the Water Center at Penn’s Regional Network Collaborative for Water Leadership."
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Water Filtration and Removal Processes
October 7, 2025 | 1:00 PM EDT
Environmental Finance Center Network
This free, 1-hour webinar covers filtration concepts used to remove contaminants from drinking water sources. Join to enhance your grasp of filtration technologies and their impact on contaminant removal and water quality performance.
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Virtual Office Hours on SRF Technical Assistance: What Is This Thing Called Equivalency?
October 20, 2025 | 2:00 PM EDT
Environmental Finance Center Network
Register for EFCN's free office hours on: "What Is This Thing Called Equivalency?" Designed to expand your knowledge and enhance your ability to navigate the SRFs. Each session will open with a specific theme, providing clarity, strategies, and practical insights for preparing and managing an SRF-funded project. These office hours are tailored for state agencies, utility operators, and stakeholders who support water infrastructure projects.
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Solving Real Water Loss with Smarter Flow Monitoring
October 23, 2025 | 11:00 AM MDT
American Water Works Association
At this free webinar, presented by Flow-Tronic, hear how water utilities across the country are under pressure to reduce non-revenue water, detect leaks faster, and improve visibility across aging distribution systems without costly shutdowns or disruptive retrofits.
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Recent Blog Posts at WaterOperator.org |
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Paving the Way for Sustainable Drinking Water Supply in Arizona
Read Here »
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Learning About Safety in Wastewater Treatment Plants
Read Here »
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RCAP's Drop of Knowledge: Article Roundup #7
Read Here »
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Groundwater & Well Care for Public Water Systems is a free online course from WaterOperator.org. Certificates are provided and the course is currently pre-approved for 2 hours continuing education
credit in a number of states.
Click here to learn more.
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WaterOperator.org is a free service, grant-funded to support small community water and wastewater operators with comprehensive resources and information in one easy-to-use place. We also serve the 800+ training, primacy, and technical service organizations, by
helping operators get to their information. We aren't selling or advertising anything. Call us at 1-866-522-2681 for assistance.
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