HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-11-26 Correspondence - EPA Region 8 - March 2026 Water Division EblastFrom:EPA Region 8To:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]March 2026 Water Division EblastDate:Wednesday, March 11, 2026 8:50:24 AM
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In This Month's Newsletter
Cybersecurity Alert
Grant Opportunities
Disaster Risk Reduction Technical Assistance
Upcoming Webinars
U.S. Water Systems should Strengthen
Cybersecurity in Light of Middle East
Conflict
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing this alert to encourage water
system owners and operators across the country to take deliberate and meaningful steps
to strengthen cybersecurity in light of activities in the middle east and the potential for U.S.
critical infrastructure to be targeted. Iranian government–affiliated and aligned cyber actors
have previously demonstrated the ability to exploit internet‑exposed operational technology
devices at U.S. water and wastewater systems, in some cases forcing temporary reversion
to manual operations and causing operational impacts. EPA urges utilities to adopt a
heightened security posture and promptly report suspicious activity to CISA and the FBI.
Mitigations
All drinking water and wastewater systems are strongly encouraged to implement the
following mitigations immediately to enhance resilience against low-level cyberattacks:
Reduce operational technology exposure to the public-facing internet.
Replace all default passwords on operational technology devices with strong,
unique passwords.
Implement multifactor authentication for remote access to operational
technology devices.
Systems that outsource technology support may need to consult with their service providers
for assistance with these mitigations.
In addition to these immediate actions, drinking water and wastewater systems are
encouraged to adopt the actions outlined in the CISA, EPA, and FBI Top Cyber Actions for
Securing Water Systems Fact Sheet to further reduce cyber risk and improve resilience
against malicious cyber activity.
Conclusion
If you have questions about any of the information in this alert, including assistance with the
mitigation steps, submit a request to EPA’s Cybersecurity Technical Assistance Program for
the Water Sector. Organizations are encouraged to report information concerning
suspicious or criminal activity to FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at IC3.gov or to
CISA via CISA’s Incident Reporting System.
Click here for more information
Wetland Program Development Grants
EPA Region 8 is now accepting applications for the Wetland Program Development Grants.
Apply on Grants.gov by April 20, 2026, at 9:59 P.M. MT
Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDGs) assist state, Tribal, territory (Insular
Areas), local government agencies, and interstate or intertribal entities in developing or
refining state, Tribal, territory or local programs that protect, manage and restore wetlands.
The goals of the EPA’s wetland program include increasing the quantity and quality of
wetlands in the U.S. by conserving and restoring wetland acreage and improving wetland
condition. In pursuing these goals, the EPA seeks to develop the capacity of all levels of
government to develop and/or refine effective, comprehensive programs for wetland
protection and management. This is done using the Core Elements of a Wetlands Program,
the Wetlands Program Core Elements Framework and, for states and Tribes, the
development of Wetland Program Plans (WPP).
WPDGs can fund activities that build capacity for Wetland Programs such as
Wetland Program Plan development or refinement
Mapping and monitoring
Identification and prioritization of management areas
Creation and distribution of training and outreach materials
WPDGs can NOT fund direct implementation such as
Wetland creation or construction
Regulatory implementation/tasks required by a pending permit (e.g. CWA 404, 402)
Purchase of vehicles, land or conservation easements
Restoration projects that do not qualify as demonstration
Questions about this Notice of Funding Opportunity must be submitted via e-mail to R8
Contacts: Barbakova.Tamara@epa.gov and Moore.Estella@epa.gov. Written responses to
frequently asked or general questions will be posted at our main Wetland grants website.
The Wetland Grants Database contains further information on Wetland Program
Development Grants that were awarded in past years.
Click here for more information
Drought is here - Are you prepared for
what is next?
Drought significantly increases the risk of Wildfires, and Flooding. Water utilities should be
prepared as they are essential in firefighting activities and can be vulnerable themselves to
natural disasters. As a drinking water, wastewater, or storm water (water sector) utility or
stakeholder you have the opportunity to receive free natural hazard risk assessment
technical assistance from EPA’s Strengthening Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow (SWIFT)
Initiative. SWIFT provides location-specific natural hazard data and practical risk
assessment tools to identify and evaluate resilient strategies. Technical assistance under
SWIFT promotes a better understanding of natural hazard threats and their impacts on
vulnerable assets, providing the guidance needed to make risk-informed infrastructure and
investment decisions. SWIFT also makes connections to infrastructure financing that help
utilities fund the implementation of their hazard resilience projects. Communities requesting
this Free Technical Assistance may have the opportunity to present their case study at
upcoming workshops.
If you are interested in receiving SWIFT technical assistance, please contact Aliza
Furneaux (furneaux.aliza@epa.gov).
For more information on additional EPA Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) providers,
please click here. You may also request SWIFT technical assistance through the Water TA
portal by selecting the last option in item #14.
.
Click here for more information
Freshwater Explorer 2.0
EPA’s Freshwater Explorer is an easy-to-use, interactive web-based mapping tool for
exploring freshwater data from streams, lakes, and groundwater wells in all 50 U.S. states,
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It includes both observed data points and
estimated background concentrations to make it easy to identify areas where water quality
has been impacted by human activities. It can be used by citizens and non-governmental
organizations to better understand national and local water quality issues and to provide
water quality information to help federal, state, territory, Tribal, and local partners make
decisions about freshwater resources. Users can add spatial layers to explore associations
between water quality measurements and natural and human geographical factors and any
of the 10,000+ other available data layers accessible from the GeoPlatform that may affect
water quality in the United States.
An Informational webinar will be held to show users how to perform geographical searches
and visualize background and measured data for water quality parameters. This
combination of information is useful for states to work with communities and regulated
entities to find the right balance of protection and use of fresh water. This webinar will be
held on March 18, 2026 12:00 PM Mountain Time.
Click here to register for the webinar
State Revolving Fund Office Hours
Ask Me Anything SRF Office Hours will expand your knowledge and enhance your ability to
navigate the SRFs. These sessions are tailored for state agencies, utility operators, and
stakeholders who support water infrastructure projects. Each session will feature a specific
theme, providing clarity, strategies, and practical insights for preparing and managing an
SRF funded project. This specific webinar will cover the important SRF documents followed
up with an open question and answer. This webinar will be on March 16, 2026 at 12 PM MT
and hosted by an EFC.
Click here to register for the office hours
WIFIA Monthly Office Hours
The WIFIA program has Office Hours sessions as open forums for questions about WIFIA
funding, the application process, and more. The link below will allow you to register to
attend one of the upcoming sessions
Click here to register for the office hours
Cybersecurity Training & Webinars
Cybersecurity 102: This training builds upon EPA’s Cybersecurity 101 Training for Water
Systems, offering deeper insights into cybersecurity for those with basic knowledge in the
field as it applies to Operational Technology (OT). Whether you are an Information
Technology (IT) professional or simply interested in protecting yourself online, this training
equips you with practical skills to navigate today’s digital threats. Click here to register for
the webinar on April 1, 2026 at 10 AM MT.
Cybersecurity 103: This training builds upon EPA’s Cybersecurity 102 Training for Water
Systems, providing further details on cybersecurity threats facing the water sector.
Participants will learn about state-sponsored threats, risks to Industrial Control Systems
(ICS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, malware, and
vulnerabilities within Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs). The course also highlights real-
world cybersecurity incidents impacting water systems, emphasizes the importance of
staying informed on emerging threats, and outlines incident reporting processes and
available cybersecurity resources to support preparedness and resilience. Click here to
register for the webinar on April 8, 2026 10:00 AM MT.
Cybersecurity Refresher: EPA's Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity
(OWERC) offers this refresher training to water and wastewater utilities to reinforce their
foundational understanding of cybersecurity and how it applies to the water sector. Click
here to register for the webinar on April 15, 2026 10:00 AM MT.
Building Drought and Wildfire Resilience
for Water Sector Utilities
US EPA’s Strengthening Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow (SWIFT) initiative invites all
interested water utility managers and staff, technical assistance providers, state and local
government employees, and other water sector stakeholders to join a free webinar detailing
how SWIFT provides direct technical assistance to water sector utilities facing drought and
wildfire hazards. Learn about the SWIFT technical assistance process, explore online tools
for understanding and assessing system risk to these hazards, and review resources for
identifying resilient infrastructure projects. This webinar will be held on March 25, 2026 at
10:00 AM.
Click here to register
EPA Grants - Staying up to date
The EPA periodically hosts webinars for the EPA grants community. If you are interested in
applying for EPA grants or are currently managing an EPA grant, please consider attending
one of these webinars. Subscribe to the EPA Grants Update Listserv to receive updates
about these webinars.
Additional Resources
For questions on Technical Assistance (TA) and funding opportunities for clean water and
drinking water infrastructure, contact Tamara Barbakova at Barbakova.Tamara@epa.gov.
EPA Region 8
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