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Newsletter #398 for February 19, 2025 |
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Reintroduction of the Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act
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The National Rural Water Association (NRWA) and the Water Coalition Against PFAS have announced their support for the reintroduction of the Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act. This bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Representatives Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) and Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), aims to shield water utilities from liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The proposed act is designed to ensure that the financial burden of PFAS cleanup falls on the polluters rather than the public or water utilities. This move is seen as crucial to prevent unjust litigation and financial strain on water systems that are already grappling with the challenges of PFAS contamination.
NRWA and the Water Coalition Against PFAS are joined by other prominent organizations, including the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA), in backing this legislation. These groups emphasize the importance of protecting water utilities from the significant costs associated with PFAS remediation, advocating for a fair and just approach to environmental responsibility.
The reintroduction of this act reflects ongoing bipartisan efforts to address the complex issue of PFAS contamination and its impact on water systems across the country. By supporting this legislation, The Water Coalition Against PFAS and its supporters aim to ensure that the responsibility for PFAS cleanup is appropriately assigned.
Read the full article: Water Coalition Against PFAS Extends Support For Bipartisan Introduction of Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act | NRWA
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Tap Talk |
Exploring Best Practices for Online Operator Training
Next up on Tap Talk, Steve and Jennifer welcome Dr. Sidney Innerebner of Colorado-based Indigo Water Group to the show. Sidney is certified as an engineer and as both a wastewater operator and industrial operator in Colorado and has been working in various aspects of the environmental services field since 1990. At Indigo, much of her work revolves around operator training, both in-person and online. Best practices in online training to enable meaningful learning is a particular passion, which she explores in depth on the show.
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Cyber Incidents Involving Cityworks Software |
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has issued an alert regarding cyber incidents involving Cityworks Software, widely used by various municipalities, including water and wastewater systems. This alert encourages water and wastewater systems/ utility stakeholders to search for any
indicators of system compromise (IOC) by reviewing the list of known IOCs for this specific incident.
Utilities should refer to the mitigations below for recommended steps to protect their systems:
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Install the latest available patches/updates immediately. Trimble has released updated
versions to both 15.x (15.8.9 published on January 28, 2025) and Cityworks 23.x
software releases (23.10 published on January 29, 2025). Information on the updated
versions is available through the Cityworks Support Portal.
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Please note: If you are unsure who hosts your Cityworks deployment or are hosted by a
third party and do not have access to the customer portal, please contact your third-party
hosting provider directly for additional information and assistance
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Do not run Internet Information Services (IIS) with local or domain-level administrative
privileges on any site.
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Ensure that attachment directory root configurations are limited to folders/subfolders
containing only attachments.
For additional information on mitigation techniques, please visit: CISA’s ICS Advisory – Trimble Cityworks.
Water and wastewater system administrators should review the alert and implement the recommended mitigations. Suspicious activities should be reported to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or through CISA's Incident Reporting System. |
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Featured Video |
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USDA Rural Development’s Water and Wastewater Programs – Help for Rural Communities
USDA Rural Development
"USDA Rural Development's Water and Environmental Programs (WEP) help rural communities build, improve, expand, and repair water, wastewater, and solid waste facilities.
WEP impacts small, rural communities across the nation, providing the help necessary to bolstering this crucial, foundational infrastructure. It’s easy to take for granted the access most of us have to clean water when we turn on the tap or flush a toilet. The truth is, many rural Americans still have to haul potable water to their homes because their local water source is contaminated or simply doesn’t exist. Some Americans lack access to even the most fundamental sanitation infrastructure, using “honeybuckets” to collect human waste."
Learn more at www.rd.usda.gov/wep. |
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Water and Wastewater Sector Threat Briefing |
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Infrastructure and Cyber Resilience Division (WICRD), in partnership with the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Intelligence & Analysis (I&A), is offering a virtual threat briefing that
will be held on February 27, 2025 from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST. Registration closes on February 26, 2025.
This briefing will provide an overview on the following topics related to water and wastewater sector security threats and preparedness:
- Potential threats to critical infrastructure (cyber and physical)
- What to do in the event of a cyber or physical intrusion
- Water security and preparedness products and services
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
- Drinking water and wastewater owners and operators
- State, Local, Tribal and Territorial drinking water and wastewater program personnel
- Water sector association and organization representatives
- EPA Regional personnel
- Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies
For questions or additional information please email WaterSectorBriefing@gdit.com. |
| Register Now |
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Enhanced Nutrient Removal and Harmful Algal Bloom Control Resources
February 25, 2025 | 10:00 AM CST
WaterOperator.org
In this free webinar participants will discover some of the most helpful resources for enhanced nutrient removal and harmful algal bloom control and learn how to use our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional resources and training events. |
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Data and Digital Security for Water & Wastewater Treatment Plants
February 25, 2025 | 11:00 AM CST
Smart Energy Design Assistance Center
Join SEDAC and guest speakers for a discussion of how public water infrastructure can prepare for and protect against data security risks. Industry experts will present common mistakes and key protections, such as strong access controls, network segmentation, regular backups, and robust incident response plans, all while considering potential data security threats to critical community infrastructure. We’ll also discuss how additional automation for energy efficiency impacts considerations for data security, and what you should be thinking about when looking at automating public water facilities. |
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Community-Based Public-Private Partnerships: Insights from Milwaukee’s Fresh Coast Green Communities Program
February 27, 2025 | 1:00 PM EST
Environmental Finance Center Network
At this free webinar, the presentation discusses how centering community and collaboration in stormwater program design leads to more resilient, equitable, and impactful solutions. This webinar will explore the fundamentals of Community-Based Public-Private Partnerships (CBP3s), an innovative framework for co-designing stormwater programs with communities and private partners. Whether it’s transforming a watershed in San Diego or reimagining stormwater infrastructure in Milwaukee, the projects presented will underscore that success comes from listening to the community and making them integral partners in the process. |
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Recent Blog Posts at WaterOperator.org |
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Small Drinking Water Webinar Series 2024 Recap
Read Here » |
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RCAP's Drop of Knowledge: Article Roundup #6
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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