Water utilities fight EPA plan to add cybersecurity mandate to ‘sanitary surveys’

EPA’s draft guidance to state regulators on cybersecurity risks at drinking water facilities includes a directive to consider those vulnerabilities in triennial “sanitary survey” reviews of their operations, according to utility groups that have strongly opposed such proposals and are urging White House officials to scrap the mandate during interagency review.

While EPA has not publicly announced its plans for the guidance, which has been under White House Office of Management and Budget review since Dec. 16, the Association of...