5. Watching water
As part of a proposed $3.25 million upgrade to the wastewater system and treatment plant in Plainfield, Connecticut, officials plan to use ARPA funding to install a new alert system. Software from Missions Communications would be installed at all pump stations.
The software, a supervisory control and data acquisition system, monitors various parts of wastewater systems, like pumps and valves, and can send notifications to workers’ cell phones, alerting them of abnormalities. The proposal is particularly salient given recent cyberattacks against U.S. infrastructure, such as an attack last February against a Florida water facility in which actors altered chemical levels.
