In the United States, there are nearly 160,000 public drinking water systems and over 16,000 publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities. These essential infrastructures serve about 84 percent of the U.S. population with potable water, while their sanitary sewage services cater to more than 75 percent of the population.
This sector, however, faces a range of threats. These threats could come in the form of attacks aimed at contaminating water with harmful agents, physical assaults such as the dispensing of toxic gaseous chemicals, or cyber attacks aimed at disrupting service and operations. If actualized, these attacks could result in widespread illnesses or casualties. Furthermore, they can lead to a service disruption which would negatively impact public health and the economic wellbeing of the nation.
The sector's critical links to other services such as firefighting and healthcare institutions like hospitals mean that their disruption would also negatively impact these crucial areas. Moreover, sectors that depend on the Water and Wastewater Systems Sector, like Energy, Food and Agriculture, and Transportation Systems, would also suffer from any service disruptions in this sector.
Contact Arizona InfraGardArizona InfraGard
PO Box 16174
Phoenix, AZ 85011-6174
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