FLOWS Act would fund cyber upgrades for rural water utilities
FLOWS Act would fund cyber upgrades for rural water utilities
https://statescoop.com/flows-act-cybersecurity-rural-water-utilities/
Publish Date: 2026-03-13 18:20:00
Source Domain: statescoop.com
A bipartisan bill introduced to Congress last week would help small and rural water utilities adopt modern cybersecurity protections and digital monitoring tools.
The Futureproofing Local Operations for Water Systems, or FLOWS, Act, introduced by Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., would create a federal grant program to help rural communities upgrade water, wastewater and stormwater systems with updated industrial control systems and adopt modern technologies like real-time sensing tools, artificial intelligence software and advanced modeling platforms.
The legislation would authorize $50 million annually for Environmental Protection Agency grants, aiding communities with limited resources. The bill would not require a local funding match, a major barrier for small utilities with limited ratepayer bases. It would also allow grants to cover both the purchase and ongoing maintenance of software, to help ensure upgrades remain sustainable.
“Every family deserves safe drinking water. That requires up-to-date, reliable water infrastructure,” Kelly said in a press release. “Right now, rural communities are dealing with aging systems, tight budgets, and growing cyber threats. We’re helping local water providers upgrade their equipment, catch problems before they become costly emergencies, and protect their systems from attacks so families aren’t left footing the bill for breakdowns and disruptions.”
A 2023 report from the nonprofit U.S. Water Alliance found that digital water management technologies can improve reliability, reduce operating costs and help operators monitor system health in real time.
Fred Hintermister, a visiting professor at the University of Albany’s homeland security and cybersecurity college, said many small utilities operate with limited staff and aging equipment, leaving them without the digital tools needed to monitor systems in real time, an especially pressing concern given the…
