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Solar Panels Will Cut Water Loss From Canals in Gila River Indian Community

News Feed
Monday, November 20, 2023

In a move that may soon be replicated elsewhere, the Gila River Indian Community recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to put solar panels over a stretch of irrigation canal on their land south of Phoenix.It will be the first project of its kind in the United States to actually break ground, according to the tribe’s press release. “This was a historic moment here for the community but also for the region and across Indian Country,” said Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis in a video published on X, formerly known as Twitter. The first phase, set to be completed in 2025, will cover 1000 feet of canal and generate one megawatt of electricity that the tribe will use to irrigate crops, including feed for livestock, cotton and grains.The idea is simple: install solar panels over canals in sunny, water-scarce regions where they reduce evaporation and make renewable electricity.“We’re proud to be leaders in water conservation, and this project is going to do just that,” Lewis said, noting the significance of a Native, sovereign, tribal nation leading on the technology.A study by the University of California, Merced estimated that 63 billion gallons of water could be saved annually by covering California’s 4,000 miles of canals. More than 100 climate advocacy groups are advocating for just that.Researchers believe that much installed solar would additionally generate a significant amount of electricity.UC Merced wants to hone its initial estimate and should soon have the chance. Not far away in California's Central Valley, the Turlock Irrigation District and partner Solar AquaGrid plan to construct 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) of solar canopies over its canals, beginning this spring and researchers will study the benefits.Neither the Gila River Indian Community nor the Turlock Irrigation District are the first to implement this technology globally. Indian engineering firm Sun Edison inaugurated the first solar-covered canal in 2012 on one of the largest irrigation projects in the world in Gujarat state. Despite ambitious plans to cover 11,800 miles (19,000 kilometers) of canals, only a handful of small projects ever went up, and the engineering firm filed for bankruptcy.High capital costs, clunky design and maintenance challenges were obstacles for widespread adoption, experts say. But severe, prolonged drought in the western U.S. has centered water as a key political issue, heightening interest in technologies like cloud seeding and solar-covered canals as water managers grasp at any solution that might buoy reserves, even ones that haven't been widely tested, or tested at all.The federal government has made record funding available for water-saving projects, including a $233 million pact with the Gila River Indian Community to conserve about two feet of water in Lake Mead, the massive and severely depleted reservoir on the Colorado River. Phase one of the solar canal project will cost $6.7 and the Bureau of Reclamation provided $517,000 for the design. The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environmentCopyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

In a move that may soon be replicated elsewhere, the Gila River Indian Community recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to put solar panels over a stretch of irrigation canal on their land south of Phoenix

In a move that may soon be replicated elsewhere, the Gila River Indian Community recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to put solar panels over a stretch of irrigation canal on their land south of Phoenix.

It will be the first project of its kind in the United States to actually break ground, according to the tribe’s press release.

“This was a historic moment here for the community but also for the region and across Indian Country,” said Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis in a video published on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The first phase, set to be completed in 2025, will cover 1000 feet of canal and generate one megawatt of electricity that the tribe will use to irrigate crops, including feed for livestock, cotton and grains.

The idea is simple: install solar panels over canals in sunny, water-scarce regions where they reduce evaporation and make renewable electricity.

“We’re proud to be leaders in water conservation, and this project is going to do just that,” Lewis said, noting the significance of a Native, sovereign, tribal nation leading on the technology.

A study by the University of California, Merced estimated that 63 billion gallons of water could be saved annually by covering California’s 4,000 miles of canals. More than 100 climate advocacy groups are advocating for just that.

Researchers believe that much installed solar would additionally generate a significant amount of electricity.

UC Merced wants to hone its initial estimate and should soon have the chance. Not far away in California's Central Valley, the Turlock Irrigation District and partner Solar AquaGrid plan to construct 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) of solar canopies over its canals, beginning this spring and researchers will study the benefits.

Neither the Gila River Indian Community nor the Turlock Irrigation District are the first to implement this technology globally. Indian engineering firm Sun Edison inaugurated the first solar-covered canal in 2012 on one of the largest irrigation projects in the world in Gujarat state. Despite ambitious plans to cover 11,800 miles (19,000 kilometers) of canals, only a handful of small projects ever went up, and the engineering firm filed for bankruptcy.

High capital costs, clunky design and maintenance challenges were obstacles for widespread adoption, experts say.

But severe, prolonged drought in the western U.S. has centered water as a key political issue, heightening interest in technologies like cloud seeding and solar-covered canals as water managers grasp at any solution that might buoy reserves, even ones that haven't been widely tested, or tested at all.

The federal government has made record funding available for water-saving projects, including a $233 million pact with the Gila River Indian Community to conserve about two feet of water in Lake Mead, the massive and severely depleted reservoir on the Colorado River. Phase one of the solar canal project will cost $6.7 and the Bureau of Reclamation provided $517,000 for the design.

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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L.A. County aims to collect billions more gallons of local water by 2045

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors has adopted the county's first water plan, which outlines how the region must stop importing 60% of its water by 2045.

Over the next two decades, Los Angeles County will collect billions more gallons in water from local sources, especially storm and reclaimed water, shifting from its reliance on other region’s water supplies as the effects of climate change make such efforts less reliable and more expensive. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday adopted the county’s first water plan, which outlines how America’s largest county must stop importing 60% of its water and pivot over the next two decades to sourcing 80% of its water locally by 2045. The plan calls for increasing local water supply by 580,000 acre-feet per year by 2045 through more effective stormwater capture, water recycling and conservation. The increase would be roughly equivalent to 162 billion gallons, or enough water for 5 million additional county residents, county leaders said. Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, health and science. “We need to conserve every drop of water possible for beneficial reuse by reducing demand, by recycling our water, by capturing much more stormwater in our natural aquifers. And I know that the public is watching to make sure we do exactly that,” said Board Chair Lindsey P. Horvath. “As climate change makes our important water resources less reliable and more expensive, I would like to see the majority of our stormwater be diverted for beneficial reuse rather than washed out to the ocean where it pollutes our coast.”The development of the county’s water plan started in 2019 when former L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl authored a motion that created the county’s sustainability plan and paved the wave for a water plan. Horvath, her successor, closed the loop Tuesday on her first day as board chair with her motion to implement the plan. At 41, Horvath is the youngest person to serve as board chair. Mark Pestrella, L.A. County Department of Public Works director, said pivoting the county from a long history of importing water “is aspirational, but it is actually achievable.” There are at least 200 independent water districts or agencies in L.A. County responsible for delivering safe, clean water, and Pestrella said the plan was aimed at fostering collaboration. In 2020, the county asked each for input and also held 90 stakeholder meetings over three years with local and tribal leaders, community members and advocate groups, Pestrella said. Most of the 200 agencies are on record agreeing to adopt the county water plan.“For years, we’ve been basically letting each of those any one or a number of those water agencies sort of lead the way or actually just act individually in the interest of the county of Los Angeles,” Pestrella said. The water plan however “has brought all those people together saying what makes sense for this region in terms of our best and highest use of our water.” The plan will focus on a number of goals: improving the reliability of the region’s water supply; collecting and storing groundwater; increasing the quality and resilience of small systems that are at risk of failing; mitigating the impact of wildfires on the water supply and managing watershed sediment.The county’s water plan, Pestrella said, also sets the county up to be more competitive in applying for state and federal money.Environmental advocacy groups, such as Heal The Bay and the Natural Resources Defense Council, applauded Tuesday’s move. “I think I (was in) the very first stakeholder group when this was first formed, and at that time, I admit I was very skeptical of the effort,” said Bruce Reznik, executive director of watchdog group L.A. Waterkeeper. However, he said, the county listened to stakeholders and developed a “a plan I think we can all be really proud of.” Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose Fifth District includes Antelope Valley, said L.A. County is mandated by the state to build 90,000 more housing units by 2029 and asked how the plan incorporates that mandate.Pestrella said it’s built into the plan, but it will require conservation as “an absolute way of life for us to not only maintain our current water supply but to meet the demands you’re describing.”The supervisors at Tuesday’s meeting stressed how important it was that all residents have access to clean water.Of the 200-plus water agencies in L.A. County, 11 are failing, 23 are at risk of failing, and 33 are potentially at risk of failing, according to the county water plan. Many of these systems provide water to low-income communities.Pestrella said the purpose of the plan is not to call out and punish these systems — the state regulates water systems, not the county — but to instead of bring them into the fold and give them resources to improve their systems.“Full immunity — come out and tell us what your needs are, work with us, don’t hide the problem, put it on the table, there’s actually help,” Pestrella said. “In their defense, I’m sure in the past they’ve asked for help, and they don’t get the help they need.”Supervisor Hilda L. Solis said there must be standards that everyone follows. The water quality for some residents in the First District, Solis said, which includes East L.A. and many factories, is “least to be desired,” whether that is because of old systems that need to be maintained or because of illegal discharge from industrial areas. Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell agreed, highlighting residents of Compton and Willowbrook who for years dealt with “putrid groundwater that they paid top dollar for” from the failed Sativa Water District, which suffered poor maintenance and mismanagement. The county’s Department of Public Works assumed full control after the district was dissolved in 2019.“That shouldn’t happen anywhere,” Mitchell said. “And the regional program that’s being proposed in this plan to identify and support the small potentially at-risk and failing systems will be instrumental in ensuring that nothing like Sativa happens again.”

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New Mexico Governor Proposes $500M Investment in Treating Oil Production Wastewater

New Mexico would underwrite the creation of a strategic new source of water by buying treated water that originates from the used, salty byproducts of oil and natural gas drilling, in hopes of preserving its freshwater aquifers, under a proposal from the state’s Democratic governor

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico would underwrite development of a strategic new source of water by buying treated water that originates from the used, salty byproducts of oil and natural gas drilling, and help preserve its freshwater aquifers in the process, under a proposal from the state's Democratic governor.The initiative from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, announced Tuesday from the international climate conference at Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, would set water purification standards and purchase treated water that originates from oil fields as well as the state's vast natural underground reservoirs of brine. It requires legislative approval.The idea is to create a government-guaranteed market for the commodity — treated water — and attract private enterprise to build desalinization and treatment facilities, securing new sources of water for industrial applications. The administration hopes to make the water available to businesses ranging from microchip manufacturers to hydrogen fuel producers that separate the element from water in an energy-intensive process.Lujan Grisham said she'll ask the Legislature to set aside $500 million to underwrite acquisition of treated water. The arrangement would harness the state's bonding authority and financial reserves held in its multibillion-dollar Severance Tax Permanent Fund. The trust, founded in the 1970s, is sustained by taxes on the extraction of oil, natural gas and other minerals from state land.“We're going to turn water — this waste, which is a problem — into a commodity,” Lujan Grisham said at the conference. “We give a fixed, long-term, (let's) say 30-year contract to any number of companies that can provide the technology to identify that water, to clean that water up, and to use it in chip manufacturing, solar manufacturing.”She said the goal is avoid a reckoning on fresh-water supplies as the Rio Grande and underground fresh-water aquifers recede. The state also has extensive underground reservoirs of salty water that have been of limited use.That brackish water is a crucial component in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and advanced drilling techniques that have helped turn New Mexico into the No. 2 oil production state in the U.S. The state's oil wells draw out far more water than oil, by several multiples, according to oil field regulators.State Environment Secretary James Kenney said the goal is to move water from the “waste to the commodity side of the ledger," noting that minerals such as lithium might be recovered during water treatment for commercial purposes. He acknowledged that the environmental implications are complex and offered assurances of adequate oversight through a 2019 law regarding oil industry water uses.“We'll have that carrot and stick approach,” Kenney said “We need that carrot approach to continue to move the economic needle while preserving our freshwater resources.”Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth of Santa Fe signaled enthusiasm for the ideas in a social media post.“Creating a state reserve of treated water for renewable energy projects merits serious consideration in the upcoming session,” Wirth said.New Mexico state government is navigating an unprecedented financial windfall from record setting oil production centered in the Permian Basin that extends across southeastern New Mexico and portions of western Texas. The state currently anticipates a $3.5 billion general fund surplus for the coming fiscal year — equal to roughly one-third of current annual spending commitments.Still, it's unclear how the water initiative will be received when the Democratic-led Legislature convenes in January.Lawmakers within the Democratic Party have clashed in recent years over strategies for modernizing the electric grid, transportation and water infrastructure to address climate change, wary of disrupting an oil industry that is a major source of private employment and government spending.Republican state Rep. Larry Scott of Hobbs, an oil industry engineer, expressed skepticism that the state can quickly scale up water treatment and dispose of massive amounts of salt.“Anybody that comes to me with a project to make the desert bloom, my first question has to be, what are you going to do with salt?” he said. “It’s monumental. And unless you solve that problem, produced water will continue to be a waste product.”Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Thames Water says it is taking ‘radical’ action but turnaround will take time

Company announces plunge in profits after being told by auditors it could run out of money by AprilThe ailing utilities firm Thames Water has said it is taking “immediate and radical” action to turn around the business, days after it emerged its auditors had warned it could run out of money by April.The debt-laden water supplier said it was working on a three-year turnaround to overhaul its environmental, operational and financial performance, as profits more than halved to £246m in the six months to 30 September, largely due to changing valuations of its assets. Continue reading...

The ailing utilities firm Thames Water has said it is taking “immediate and radical” action to turn around the business, days after it emerged its auditors had warned it could run out of money by April.The debt-laden water supplier said it was working on a three-year turnaround to overhaul its environmental, operational and financial performance, as profits more than halved to £246m in the six months to 30 September, largely due to changing valuations of its assets.The company, which supplies 16 million customers, said its revenues rose 11% to £1.2bn over the period.Thames Water’s three-year plan focuses on six areas: health and safety, customer complaints, water quality, leakage, supply interruptions and pollution.The company’s interim co-Cchief executives, Cathryn Ross and Alastair Cochran, said in a statement that, while it was in line with industry averages in “many areas” that “in some other areas our performance needs to improve, including some areas of operational and environmental performance that matter most to our customers and communities. Our financial performance also needs to improve. It is clear that immediate and radical action is required.”They added: “Turning around Thames will take time. We simply cannot do everything that our customers and stakeholders wish to see at a pace and for a price that everyone would like. We will continue to make the tough choices required to deliver what matters most to our customers and the environment.”But Thames admitted its record on releasing pollution into Britain’s waterways had “deteriorated”.Thames said that the “overall performance [on pollution] deteriorated in the first half, with category 1-3 pollutions increasing year-on-year from 217 to 257”. The company said it had managed to reduce blockages, a big factor leading to sewage releases, by 5%.Thames’ auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers, have said there was “material uncertainty” about whether the main company behind the water supplier can continue as a going concern without a cash injection by shareholders in accounts for Thames’ ultimate parent company, Kemble Water Holdings, for 2022-23, signed off in July and filed at Companies House last week.Thames’ shareholders put in £500m in 2023, and have agreed to invest a further £750 “across AMP7” – the water industry asset management plan period running from 2020 to 2025. It has indicated that a further £2.5bn would be needed to cover the five years to 2030.On Tuesday, the water firm said receiving the £750m was contingent on certain conditions, including agreeing a business plan with regulators that “underpins a more focused turnaround that delivers targeted performance improvements for customers, the environment and other stakeholders over the next three years”.The finances of Britain’s biggest water supplier have been the subject of scrutiny since it emerged that the government was drawing up contingency plans for a temporary nationalisation during the summer amid fears over its huge debt pile. It emerged shortly after the abrupt resignation of its former chief executive, Sarah Bentley.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionThames, which has a £14bn debt pile, said it had paid a dividend that ultimately reached Kemble, which will use it to service group debt obligations. The group did not pay a dividend to external shareholders.Thames said it had total liquidity of £3.5bn, as well as further funding resources, and added that its shareholders supported its investment plans.The company said it had reduced a backlog of customer complaints by 49%, but work to clear that backlog had “increased volume of second stage complaints, which has contributed to the overall inflow increasing by 13% year on year to 38,872”.Concerns over Thames’s debts come against the backdrop of a water industry in the crosshairs of MPs and the public over sewage dumping, leaking pipes, executive bonuses and under-investment in UK infrastructure.In October, Thames said its customers would face a rise in bills from £436 to £611 a year in the five years from 2025. The company plans to make £18.7bn of investment over that period, including £4.7bn to improve service quality.Thames said the number of leaks in its network had fallen by 6% in the first half of its financial year.

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Cryptocurrency’s Thirst: A Single Bitcoin Transaction Consumes a Pool’s Worth of Water

Bitcoin mining’s extensive water use is worsening the global water crisis, especially in drought-prone regions, according to Alex de Vries. He suggests potential solutions, including...

Alex de Vries’ research highlights the substantial water consumption of Bitcoin mining, exacerbating the global water crisis. This issue is particularly severe in water-scarce regions and countries like the U.S. and Central Asia. De Vries proposes solutions like software changes and renewable energy but raises concerns about their practicality. Bitcoin mining’s extensive water use is worsening the global water crisis, especially in drought-prone regions, according to Alex de Vries. He suggests potential solutions, including renewable energy, but notes the challenges in their implementation. Cryptocurrency mining uses a significant amount of water amid the global water crisis, and its water demand may grow further. In a commentary published November 29 in the journal Cell Reports Sustainability, financial economist Alex de Vries provides the first comprehensive estimate of Bitcoin’s water use. He warns that its sheer scale could impact drinking water if it continues to operate without constraints, especially in countries that are already battling water scarcity, including the U.S. “Many parts of the world are experiencing droughts, and freshwater is becoming an increasing scarce resource,” says de Vries, a PhD student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. “If we continue to use this valuable resource for making useless computations, I think that reality is really painful.” Bitcoin Mining’s Intensive Resource Use Previous research on crypto’s resource use has primarily focused on electricity consumption. When mining Bitcoins, the most popular cryptocurrency, miners around the world are essentially racing to solve mathematical equations on the internet, and the winners get a share of Bitcoin’s value. In the Bitcoin network, miners make about 350 quintillion—that is, 350 followed by 18 zeros—guesses every second of the day, an activity that consumes a tremendous amount of computing power. “The right answer emerges every 10 minutes, and the rest of the data, quintillions of them, are computations that serve no further purpose and are therefore immediately discarded,” de Vries says. During the same process, a large amount of water is used to cool the computers at large data centers. Based on data from previous research, de Vries calculates that Bitcoin mining consumes about 8.6 to 35.1 gigaliters (GL) of water per year in the U.S. In addition to cooling computers, coal- and gas-fired power plants that provide electricity to run the computers also use water to lower the temperature. This cooling water is evaporated and not available to be reused. Water evaporated from hydropower plants also adds to the water footprint of Bitcoin’s power demand. Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency, invented in 2008 by an unknown person or group of people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto. It was released as open-source software in 2009. Operating without a central authority or single administrator, Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer network that allows users to send and receive bitcoins, the units of currency, by broadcasting digitally signed messages to the network. Transactions are recorded in a public ledger called a blockchain. Alarming Global Water Consumption In total, de Vries estimates that in 2021, Bitcoin mining consumed over 1,600 GL of water worldwide. Each transaction on the Bitcoin blockchain uses 16,000 liters of water on average, about 6.2 million times more than a credit card swipe, or enough to fill a backyard swimming pool. Bitcoin’s water consumption is expected to increase to 2,300 GL in 2023, de Vries says, In the U.S., Bitcoin mining consumes about 93 GL to 120 GL of water every year, equivalent to the average water consumption of 300,000 U.S. households or a city like Washington, D.C. Environmental Impact and Price Correlation “The price of Bitcoin just increased recently and reached its highest point of the year, despite the recent collapse of several cryptocurrency platforms. This will have serious consequences, because the higher the price, the higher the environmental impact,” de Vries says. “The most painful thing about cryptocurrency mining is that it uses so much computational power and so much resources, but these resources are not going into creating some kind of model, like artificial intelligence, that you can then use for something else. It’s just making useless computations.” At a value of more than $37,000 per coin, Bitcoin continues to expand across the world. In countries in Central Asia, where the dry climate is already putting pressure on freshwater supply, increased Bitcoin mining activities will worsen the problem. In Kazakhstan, a global cryptocurrency mining hub, Bitcoin transactions consumed 997.9 GL of water in 2021. The Central Asia country is already grappling with a water crisis, and Bitcoin mining’s growing water footprint could exacerbate the shortage. Potential Solutions and Dilemmas De Vries suggests that approaches such as modifying Bitcoin mining’s software could cut down on the power and water needed for this process. Incorporating renewable energy sources that don’t involve water, including wind and solar, can also reduce water consumption. “But do you really want to spend wind and solar power for crypto? In many countries including the U.S., the amount of renewable energy is limited. Sure you can move some of these renewable energy sources to crypto, but that means something else will be powered with fossil fuels. I’m not sure how much you gain,” he says. Reference: “Bitcoin’s growing water footprint” by Alex de Vries, 29 November 2023, Cell Reports Sustainability.DOI: 10.1016/j.crsus.2023.100004

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DOJ asked to investigate water utility hack

Three members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation have asked the Department of Justice to investigate how foreign hackers breached a water authority near Pittsburgh which prompted warnings to other water treatment facilities. In a letter released Thursday, Democratic Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey and Rep. Chris Deluzio (D), said Americans must know their drinking water...

Three members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation have asked the Department of Justice to investigate how foreign hackers breached a water authority near Pittsburgh which prompted warnings to other water treatment facilities. In a letter released Thursday, Democratic Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey and Rep. Chris Deluzio (D), said Americans must know their drinking water is safe from “nation-state adversaries and terrorist organizations,” The Associated Press reported. The Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania was apparently targeted and compromised on Nov. 24 because the equipment in the control system was made in Israel. An image of the device screen shows a message from hackers that reads “Every equipment ‘made in Israel’ is Cyber Av3ngers legal target.” A group used that same language claimed to have hacked 10 water treatment stations in Israel, but it’s not confirmed if they were able to shut down any equipment, the AP reported. “Any attack on our nation’s critical infrastructure is unacceptable,” the lawmakers wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland. “If a hack like this can happen here in western Pennsylvania, it can happen anywhere else in the United States.” CBS News in Pittsburgh obtained a copy of the letter that said there is a history in Western Pennsylvania of the U.S. Attorney's Office "prosecuting cybercrimes involving foreign adversaries." Deluzio joined the news station to discuss the letter, calling the attack "a serious thing." "A municipal water authority in Aliquippa is the target here, and that controls something we all rely on: access to water," Deluzio told CBS. "So that's where the vulnerabilities are. We've got to shore up defenses and help local government, help private vendors where they're involved, lift up their cybersecurity." “We’ve been told that we are not the only authority that’s been affected in the country, but we are believed to be the first,” the Aliquippa water authority chairman Matthew Mottes told the AP. Cyber Av3ngers have been aligned with Iran’s government, leading cybersecurity companies Check Point Research and Google’s Mandiant said. The group has been targeting Israeli infrastructure since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, a Check Point spokesperson said. According to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the device in Pennsylvania — which regulates processes like pressure, temperature and fluid flow — was made by Unitronics, a company based in Israel, which is used in industries ranging from water and sewage facilities, to electric companies and oil and gas producers, per AP. The Pennsylvania water authority temporarily halted pumping on Saturday after the hack. Crews took over with manual operation. The cybersecurity attack came after a federal appeals court ruling prompted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rescind a rule that would have required U.S. public water systems to include cybersecurity testing in their regular audits. The agency announced in March that many systems have not taken the basic steps to ensure cybersecurity despite more attacks. The EPA rescinded the memorandum in October, despite believing attacks "occur frequently and are a significant threat" to water and wastewater system operations. The agency said it will be using the Biden administration's National Cybersecurity Strategy, released in March, to guide future work and lower the risk of attacks. The Hill has reached out to the offices of the three lawmakers who wrote to the DOJ for more information about their letter and request.

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Government
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