Water Cyber Shield Act of 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Water systems would get new cybersecurity rules and funding to protect drinking water and wastewater.

This bill would require many drinking water systems and larger wastewater treatment plants to assess their cybersecurity risks and create plans to deal with cyberattacks. It would also authorize $3.6 billion to help these systems improve their digital defenses. This aims to make sure our water infrastructure is safer from online threats.

What Would Change

Today, cybersecurity requirements for water systems are less standardized and comprehensive. After this bill, many drinking water systems and larger wastewater treatment plants would be required to follow federal cybersecurity standards, conduct regular risk assessments, and have emergency response plans specifically for cyberattacks. They would also have access to significant federal funding to help pay for these improvements.

Key Provisions

Requires community drinking water systems serving over 3,300 people to assess cybersecurity risks and create emergency response plans for cyberattacks.
Requires larger wastewater treatment plants (serving over 10,000 people and with a flow rate of 1 million gallons or more) to assess cybersecurity risks and create emergency response plans for cyberattacks.
Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish baseline cybersecurity standards for these water systems through new rules.
Authorizes $1.8 billion to help drinking water systems improve their cybersecurity from 2027 through 2032.
Authorizes $1.8 billion to help wastewater treatment plants improve their cybersecurity from 2027 through 2032.

View on Congress.gov

S 5368 · 119th Congress · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10

Water Cyber Shield Act of 2026

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity