Summary: Yesterday, EPA announced that the agency is making $9 million available in grant funding for midsize and large water systems to help protect drinking water from cybersecurity threats and improve operational resilience in the face of extreme weather events. WaterISAC is sharing other funding opportunities that water and wastewater utilities can apply for to help enhance their operational resilience.
Analyst Note: Investing in resilience and cybersecurity efforts is crucial for all water and wastewater utilities. Indeed, a report from the National Institute of Building Sciences estimated that every $1 invested in pre-disaster mitigation has led to a $6 savings. According to EPA, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) authorizes the agency to establish the Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program. This grant program assists medium and large size public water systems with protecting drinking water sources from natural hazards, extreme weather events, and cybersecurity threats.
EPA is seeking grant applications from public water systems serving 10,000 people or more. This funding opportunity will remain open for 60 days, ending on October 6, 2025, and can be found on www.grants.gov.
To help utilities understand the grant and the application process, EPA will host a webinar on the grant program on August 19th, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM ET. Register for the webinar here.
In addition, WaterISAC is sharing other EPA funding resources and recommendations in the “Additional Reading” section of this report.
Original Source: https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/midsize-and-large-drinking-water-system-infrastructure-resilience-and-sustainability
Additional Reading:
- EPA - Federal Funding for Water and Wastewater Utilities in National Disasters (Fed FUNDS)
- EPA - Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center
- AP Report Highlights Risk of Aging Infrastructure, While Federal Funding Provides Opportunities to Help Mitigate the Risk
Related WaterISAC PIRs: 6 & 16
