The Housatonic Water Company’s Long Pond Water Source and Treatment Facility may be vulnerable to cyberattacks, according to a federal report, after the company received a $15,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to help secure its systems.
Berkshire Eagle
GREAT BARRINGTON — Like other water systems across the country, the Housatonic Water System appears to be under threat from cyberattacks and was recently given funding to combat them.
The Housatonic Water Company announced two grants totaling $365,000 on Tuesday, including $350,000 for system upgrades to fix water discoloration caused by manganese.
But the other $15,000 grant is for enhancing “the cybersecurity of the company’s advanced supervisory control and data collection systems,” according to a press release posted on the company’s website on Tuesday.
According to online industry publication Automation.com, a SCADA system includes monitoring equipment spread throughout a water system to prevent any kind of sabotage or other problems.
“This grant will ensure the continued protection and integrity of our water management operations,” said James Mercer, co-owner and treasurer of the water utility.
The grant was awarded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency under the Emerging Contaminants Grant Program for Small or Disadvantaged Communities.
Cancer-related compounds in Housatonic’s drinking water spiked in February, but levels remain just below safety limits.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency issued a warning in May saying “threats and attacks on the Nation’s water systems are increasing in frequency and severity, making additional measures essential.”
EPA is partnering with the FBI to raise awareness among water system operators.
“Threat actors linked to the Iranian government’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have conducted malicious cyber attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure facilities, including drinking water systems,” White House officials wrote in a letter to governors in March.
The letter also listed other groups, including Chinese state-sponsored cyber groups, the report said.
But the majority of the grant money will go towards “the company’s manganese remediation program to address seasonal manganese discoloration in tap water,” the company said.
The discoloration has sparked riots in the Housatonic over its water turning from yellow to brown, a problem that’s been around for decades but appears to have increased in recent years.
This summer’s discoloration has been particularly tough for affected residents.
The EPA and DEP have said there are no health hazards and that it’s an “aesthetic” issue, further frustrating residents and town health officials.
The company has also struggled to control levels of chlorination by-products that have been linked to cancer.
The company is now waiting for regulatory approval for rate increases that will not only cover the cost of the $4.5 million upgrade, but also double customer rates within two years. The deadline for that decision is Thursday.
Mercer said construction on these and other projects will begin as soon as the state Department of Public Utilities approves the rate increases.
