Tag: Office of Environmental Health Services

State Officials Work To Ward Off Water System Cyberattacks

West Virginia officials are teaming up to bolster cybersecurity for local water and wastewater services.

In December, national security authorities identified an increase in cyberattacks targeting local water systems across the country, prompting calls to strengthen their cyber protections.

In response, officials with the Office of Environmental Health Services (OEHS) — part of the West Virginia Department of Health Bureau of Public Health — are now coordinating cyberattack prevention initiatives with local water systems across the state.

Cyberattacks can disrupt water services, steal consumer data and install dangerous software remotely. In a Tuesday press release, State Health Officer Matthew Christiansen said that the state’s renewed cybersecurity efforts can hamper threats to local water services.

“Water systems can reduce their risk by updating computer equipment regularly, using secure passwords and resetting them regularly, requiring employee training to safeguard against an attack and ensuring clean drinking water is provided to residents,” he said.

OEHS will also work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to spread awareness about the federal agency’s free cybersecurity assessments.

Through these efforts, officials said that they hope to bolster cybersecurity for local water systems across West Virginia.

W.Va. Water Infrastructure Gains $80 Million In Federal EPA Funding

The money comes as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law last year by the Biden administration. It adds to the $25 million awarded earlier this year to the state’s Drinking Water and Clean Water Revolving Funds.

More than $80 million in federal funding is coming to West Virginia’s water infrastructure from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The money comes as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law last year by the Biden administration. It adds to the $25 million awarded earlier this year to the state’s Drinking Water and Clean Water Revolving Funds.

The funding is set to be sent to local water systems across the state to help with services like repairs, replacing lead service lines and getting rid of contaminants and pollution.

It’s part of a $50 billion package, which the EPA is using to help local communities’ water systems across the country.

In an email to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Terry Fletcher of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) said “the number of communities that receive funding from this program depends on which communities apply and complete the process.”

The WVDEP oversees the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.

A use plan document from the state’s Office of Environmental Health Services says it intends to use the current funds from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to fund 29 statewide projects.

This also comes after the U.S. Geological Survey detected at least one kind of “forever chemical,” known as PFAS, in 67 of West Virginia’s drinking water systems. These are synthetic chemicals that don’t break down in the environment and endanger human health.

This is the first round of money to be awarded to the state’s water infrastructure in the long-term future. The federal infrastructure law is set to provide more grants to West Virginia during the next four years.

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