Rural Water Systems Get Cybersecurity Boost: Bill Allocates $7.5 Million Annually for Small Town Digital Defenses Starting 2026

This bill, the Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems Act, is pretty straightforward: it's adding cybersecurity help to an existing program for small, rural water systems. Specifically, it amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to include technical assistance aimed at beefing up digital defenses for water systems serving fewer than 10,000 people. The goal is to help these smaller, often under-resourced systems figure out where their cyber vulnerabilities are and how to patch them up.

Plugging Leaks in Digital Defenses

So, what does "technical assistance" actually mean here? According to the bill text, it involves assessing how well these small water systems are currently protected against cyber threats. Think of it like a digital check-up. Beyond just spotting weaknesses, the program will help these systems create and implement actual cybersecurity plans, procedures, and technologies. For a small town relying on its local water supply, this could mean getting expert help to prevent hackers from messing with critical controls – something they likely don't have the in-house expertise or budget for right now.

Turning on the Tap for Cyber Funds

The bill puts real money behind this effort. It carves out $7.5 million specifically for this cybersecurity assistance for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030. This funding is part of a larger extension of the existing National Rural Water and Wastewater Circuit Rider Program, which itself gets a total of $32.5 million annually for those same years. Locking in this funding stream gives these rural water systems a predictable resource they can plan around to start shoring up their digital infrastructure against potential attacks.