Richmond's crisis is an opportunity to learn about Water. Here are some basics:

Deep Purple, Doobie Brothers, Eminem with Beyonce

Having spent a great deal of my life in the water business, I can tell you that water is as complex as it is important.

I asked Claude AI for some basics on municipal systems in order that you can have a good, solid start to understanding what all goes on in delivering potable water to homes and businesses.

Bottom Lines on Water - It is:

1. essential for human life

2. heavy, powerful, and potentially destructive when moving (f=ma)

3. moved by energy or gravity

4. easily contaminated

5. always going to follow the path of least resistance

Municipal Water Systems

Water from a source (like reservoirs, lakes, rivers, or groundwater) first goes through several key stages:

Collection starts at the source, where intake structures draw water and use screens to filter out large debris.

Raw water is then pumped to treatment facilities.

Treatment

- Coagulation and flocculation: Chemicals are added to make small particles clump together

- Sedimentation: These clumps sink to the bottom of settling tanks

- Filtration: Water passes through layers of sand, gravel, and charcoal to remove smaller particles

- Disinfection: Chlorine or other disinfectants are added to kill harmful microorganisms

Distribution

- Water towers and reservoirs for storage and maintaining pressure

- A network of large transmission mains that branch into smaller distribution pipes

- Service lines that connect to individual buildings

- Valves, hydrants, and pumping stations to control flow and pressure

The system maintains pressure for several reasons:

1. To ensure water reaches upper floors of buildings

2. To prevent contamination - if pipes leak, pressure keeps contaminants from entering

3. To provide adequate flow for fire hydrants

Most systems also include monitoring equipment to track water quality, pressure, and flow rates.

Treatment plants typically run 24/7 and require constant oversight by certified operators.

Power requirements - significant and reliable

The biggest power consumers are the pumping stations, which need large electric motors to:

- Move raw water from the source to treatment plants

- Push treated water through the distribution network

- Maintain pressure throughout the system

- Power booster pumps for areas at higher elevations

- Operate well pumps if groundwater is used

Treatment plants need electricity for:

- Running treatment equipment like mixers and aerators

- Powering chemical feed pumps

- Operating filtration systems

- Running monitoring and control systems

- Lighting and HVAC for facilities

Essential nature = backup power systems:

- Emergency generators that automatically start during outages

- Fuel storage for extended operation

- Redundant power feeds from different substations

- Battery backup systems for critical controls

Energy efficiency is increasingly important

- Installing variable frequency drives on pumps

- Using gravity flow where possible

- Implementing smart controls to optimize pumping

- Adding renewable energy like solar panels

- Capturing energy from water flow using micro-turbines

The exact power needs vary based on system size and geography, but a medium-sized city's water system might use several megawatts of electricity daily.

Publicly Available Information on Richmond’s system:

Richmond draws its water primarily from the James River. The city's main water treatment plant is the Richmond Water Treatment Plant, which has been serving the area since the early 1920s and has been upgraded several times over the decades.

The system serves not only Richmond but also provides water to surrounding areas in Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover counties. The treatment plant has the capacity to treat many millions of gallons of water per day.

Since Richmond's terrain includes significant elevation changes from the river level up to areas like Church Hill, the system requires substantial pumping power to maintain adequate pressure throughout the service area. This includes both the initial pumping from the James River and booster pumping to reach higher elevations.

For more information : https://www.rva.gov/public-utilities/water-utility

U.S Water Systems - Vulnerable and Attacked

While there have been various reported cyber incidents targeting U.S. water systems, attributing attacks definitively to China or any nation state is complex and often uncertain. What we do know is that water systems, like other critical infrastructure, are potential targets for cyber attacks that could aim to:

- Gather intelligence about system operations

- Potentially disrupt water treatment processes

- Access industrial control systems

- Test system vulnerabilities

- Create public safety concerns

Water sector’s increased focus on cybersecurity

- Many systems use older industrial control systems

- Remote access became more common during the pandemic

- Small utilities may have limited cybersecurity resources

- Water systems are considered critical infrastructure

Security Focus and Improvements

- Regular security assessments

- Employee cybersecurity training

- Network monitoring and segmentation

- Incident response planning

- Coordination with federal agencies

Deeper Dive on Water Cybersecurity:

The main vulnerabilities in water systems often stem from their operational technology (OT) systems, particularly:

- SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems that monitor and control treatment processes

- PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) that operate specific equipment

- Remote access systems used for monitoring and maintenance

- Integration between IT and OT networks

- Legacy systems that may not receive security updates

Key Elements of Security

Physical Security:

- Restricted access to facilities and control rooms

- Security cameras and intrusion detection

- Biometric access controls

- Secure storage of system documentation

Network Security:

- Air-gapped critical systems (physically isolated from external networks)

- Network segmentation to separate IT and OT systems

- Encrypted communications

- Strict access controls and authentication

- Regular security patches and updates

Operational Practices:

- Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments

- Backup manual controls for critical systems

- Incident response plans and regular drills

- Chain of custody protocols for system changes

- Monitoring of chemical levels and water quality parameters

Federal agencies like the EPA, DHS, and FBI provide resources and guidelines, including:

- Risk assessment tools

- Cybersecurity frameworks

- Threat intelligence sharing

- Incident response support

- Training programs for utility staff

Smaller water utilities lack:

- Dedicated IT security staff

- Budget for security upgrades

- Expertise in modern security practices

- Regular security training programs

- Adequate backup systems