Author: matthewframe

Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Posted on by matthewframe

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The Office of Drinking Water (ODW) strongly encourages waterworks to assess their cybersecurity practices and implement cybersecurity controls appropriate to the technologies utilized in their treatment and provision of drinking water.  ODW’s Waterworks Cybersecurity Webpage contains tools for completing cyber assessments, implementing cybersecurity controls, and responding to cyber incidents.

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering a plethora of free cybersecurity training throughout October 2026. Please visit the EPA Cybersecurity Training webpage for registration information.

Hurricane Season Information

Posted on by matthewframe

Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, and Virginia’s water utilities play a critical role in community safety and resilience. Even storms that don’t make landfall in Virginia can bring heavy rainfall, flooding, power outages, and supply chain disruptions that affect water operations.

The Commonwealth is entering hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through November 30. Now is the time to prepare and review your emergency plans to ensure your utility is ready for severe weather impacts. Review the Hurricane Checklist to help stay prepared. Below is the link to the EPA Hurricane Incident Action Checklist: Water Sector Utility Incident Action Checklist – Hurricanes.

More information on hurricane season and emergency preparedness can be found here.

Virginia Drought Conditions Alert

Posted on by matthewframe

Virginia is currently experiencing severe drought conditions, with much of the Commonwealth under a drought watch or warning. Now is the time for utilities to ensure they are prepared should conditions continue to worsen by reviewing response plans, monitoring water supply levels, and coordinating with local partners. Utilities are encouraged to review the EPA Drought Checklist to assess preparedness and continue monitoring DEQ’s Drought webpage for the latest updates and conditions.

Please also find more information on the ODW Drought Monitoring Program – Drinking Water Webpage.

Provided is a recent drought report map.  To see the current drought monitoring maps and report click the link here.

 

ODW Newsletter

Posted on by matthewframe

The October 2026 ODW Newsletter covers several important topics highlighted below:

  • Technical and Regulatory Updates
  • 2-Hour Reporting Requirements
  • Funding Updates and Resources
  • Cybersecurity Awareness Month
  • Operator Licensure Resources
  • Upcoming Training and Webinars

More information on all these topics can be found in the October 2026 Newsletter.

A link to previous ODW Newsletters and bulletins can be found on the ODW Newsletters page.

Nationwide Verizon Outage

Posted on by matthewframe

CIR: CIR 7.1.A – Cellular infrastructure outage, or imminent outage, impacting, or with the potential to impact, public safety, public health, and/or critical infrastructure

Incident Date/Time: 01-14-2026 12:27

Information Authority: SWIC

Localities Affected: United States (Country-Wide)

Incident Location: USA

Incident Summary: Verizon is experiencing an intermittent outage, impacting major cities nationwide. Approximately 177,000 users are affected, with many devices displaying SOS Mode. Unknown cause of the outage with unknown restoration time. Other US based cell carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, and US cellular) are starting to service impacts to their customers.

Pro-Russia Hacktivists Conduct Opportunistic Attacks Against US and Global Critical Infrastructure

Posted on by matthewframe

The FBI, CISA, NSA assess pro-Russia hacktivist groups are conducting less sophisticated, lower-impact attacks against critical infrastructure entities, compared to advanced persistent threat (APT) groups. These attacks use minimally secured, internet-facing virtual network computing (VNC) connections to infiltrate (or gain access to) OT control devices within critical infrastructure systems. Pro-Russia hacktivist groups—Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR), Z-Pentest, NoName057(16), Sector16, and affiliated groups—are capitalizing on the widespread prevalence of accessible VNC devices to execute attacks against critical infrastructure entities, resulting in varying degrees of impact, including physical damage. Targeted sectors include Water and Wastewater Systems, Food and Agriculture, and Energy.

More information on this alert can be found here.

BRICKSTORM Backdoor CISA Alert

Posted on by matthewframe

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), and Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) assess People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber actors are using BRICKSTORM malware for long-term persistence on victim systems. CISA, NSA, and Cyber Centre are releasing this Malware Analysis Report to share indicators of compromise (IOCs) and detection signatures based off analysis of eight BRICKSTORM samples. CISA, NSA, and Cyber Centre urge organizations to use the IOCs and detection signatures to identify BRICKSTORM malware samples.

More information on the alert can be found on the CISA website here.

Winter Weather Preparedness

Posted on by matthewframe

winter storm warning vs winter storm watch

Winter storms can bring a combination of freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and extended power outages that pose significant challenges to water systems. Even brief periods of extreme cold can impact treatment processes, freeze exposed equipment, limit staffing, and disrupt transportation and chemical deliveries. Preparing now helps ensure continued safe operation and reliable service throughout the winter season.

Key preparedness reminders for waterworks:

  • Inspect and protect vulnerable equipment such as exposed pipes, meters, chemical feed lines, and outdoor instrumentation.
  • Verify backup power systems and ensure fuel, generators, and transfer switches are ready for potential outages.
  • Confirm employee call-down lists and ensure staff understand inclement weather reporting procedures.
  • Review chemical inventory and resupply plans in case road conditions delay deliveries.
  • Coordinate with local emergency management and monitor updates from the National Weather Service.

Prepare for customer impacts such as frozen service lines and potential low-pressure events

Being proactive with winter storm readiness supports operational resilience, protects infrastructure, and ensures the continued delivery of safe drinking water to Virginia communities. More information on winter weather and emergency preparedness can be found here.

Lead and Copper Rule Revisions Guidance

Posted on by matthewframe

EPA has introduced the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) and Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). ODW staff have compiled resources for utilities to ensure they properly implement the rule changes and additions.

Information can be found here