![\"Bellingham's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wastewater.jpeg\" "\\"Bellingham's")
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Bellingham’s Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.<\/p>\n
City of Bellingham<\/p>\n
Courtesy to The Bellingham Herald<\/p>\n
Officials at the state Department of Ecology are warning Washington cities and agencies that provide drinking water or treat sewage about a nationwide threat to public utilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recently received an alert from the National Security Agency of national cybersecurity incidents at water and wastewater systems across the United States. Please take time to read through this Public Service Announcement<\/a> to avoid operational technology impacts to you and your customers,\u201d Ecology said in a statement Friday to public utilities in Washington.<\/p>\n Officials at the city of Bellingham are aware of the threat, Deputy Director of Public Works Michael Olinger told The Bellingham Herald.<\/p>\n \u201cWe take cybersecurity seriously because water and wastewater are essential services. We have protections in place, regularly assess potential threats and are prepared to respond if an incident occurs. We\u2019re aware of the recent federal alert, and the steps being recommended are consistent with our current practices,\u201d Olinger said in an email.<\/p>\n According to the digital industry site Cybersecurity Dive<\/a>, public utilities in at least 12 states have been the target of attacks, including Minnesota, Michigan, Georgia, South Dakota and New Jersey.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first public discovery of the threat began in Minnesota, where more than 30 community water systems were targeted in a coordinated attack from July 26-27,\u201d Cybersecurity Dive said.<\/p>\n Various other law-enforcement and regulatory agencies issued statements recently regarding software and hardware vulnerability involving several manufacturers.<\/p>\n In addition to the NSA \u2014 which operates inside the Department of Defense \u2014 warnings have come from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation<\/a>, the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.<\/p>\n \u201cEPA recommends water and wastewater systems review the tactics, techniques and procedures in the advisory and the potential operational impacts to learn more about this threat and apply the recommended mitigation actions and preventative hardening actions to minimize the likelihood of an attack,\u201d Ecology said in its statement Friday.<\/p>\n Both the FBI and the EPA urged water system and wastewater treatment plant operators to disconnect their computer systems from the internet and report suspicious activity.<\/p>\n This story was originally published August 21, 2026 at 2:38 PM.<\/p>\n
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