Water and Wastewater Systems

Overview 

Safe drinking water is essential for protecting public health and supporting all human activities. Properly treated wastewater is crucial for preventing disease and safeguarding the environment. Ensuring a reliable supply of clean drinking water and effective wastewater treatment is vital to modern life and the nation’s economy. 

In the United States, there are approximately 152,000 public drinking water systems, including 50,000 community water systems, and more than 16,000 wastewater treatment systems. Over 80 percent of the U.S. population receives their potable water from these drinking water systems, and about 75 percent have their sanitary sewerage treated by these wastewater systems. 

The Water and Wastewater Systems Sector is vulnerable to various threats, including physical attacks, cyberattacks, and contamination with harmful agents. Such incidents could result in widespread illness, casualties, and service disruptions, significantly impacting public health and economic stability. Additionally, the sector is vulnerable to a wide range of natural disasters. Critical services such as firefighting and healthcare, as well as other dependent and interdependent sectors like Energy, Health Care and Public Health, and Critical Manufacturing, could experience face severe consequences from disruptions in water or wastewater services.

Both the ability to supply water and manage wastewater are considered National Critical Functions. These functions are so vital to the U.S. that their disruption, corruption, or dysfunction would have a debilitating effect on national security, economic stability, and public health and safety.

Water and Wastewater Government Coordinating Council and Sector Coordinating Council

Under the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC), coordinating councils provide a forum for interaction between governmental entities and representatives from the community of critical infrastructure owners and operators. As the Sector Risk Management Agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chairs the Water Government Coordinating Council (WGCC), which includes federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government entities and their representative organizations with critical infrastructure responsibilities. The Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC) is a self-organized and self-governed council, comprising organizations that represent critical infrastructure owners and operators, as well as their respective trade or equivalent associations.