Texas Pilot Targets Water Cyber Defense

As threats against water systems escalate, the White House has launched a pilot program to bolster cybersecurity defenses for utilities, with Texas as the first testing ground.

New Initiative Announced in San Antonio

On August 31, during a roundtable in San Antonio, Governor Greg Abbott and White House national cyber director Sean Cairncross jointly announced the start of Project Watershed 250. The program will initially provide water and wastewater utilities—including rural providers that often lack resources—with federal and private sector cyber-defense tools at no cost.

The effort targets threats particularly from Chinese or Iranian nation-state actors. The six-month pilot in Texas will see resources deployed to identify vulnerabilities and implement stronger defenses, supported by Texas Cyber Command, which was established in 2025 to address statewide cyber threats.

Major Tech Firms Join Effort

Several major cybersecurity companies will contribute expertise and resources in conjunction with the Office of the National Cyber Director. These include Microsoft, Google, AWS, Cloudflare, Palo Alto Networks, Forescout, and Dragos.

The collaboration aims to provide rural water providers with access to advanced security measures they might otherwise not afford.

Rising Attacks on Water Systems

The program follows a wave of cyber-attacks targeting water utilities across the US. The FBI warned on July 30 that malicious actors are conducting attacks on operational technology (OT) devices in these systems, causing operational disruptions. The agency received incident reports from 27 providers in at least seven states, with attacks linked to Iranian state-backed groups.

In the UK, it was reported in August 2026 that Iranian hackers shut down a power plant for several days in July, allegedly coinciding with a large-scale operation against US water plants. The specific plant targeted has not been revealed.

Expansion Plans and Support

Cairncross said during the roundtable that lessons from the Texas pilot will inform potential expansions of Project Watershed 250 to other states and rural communities, according to an Axios report.

The pilot's success could shape how federal resources are allocated to protect critical infrastructure across the country.

The initiative underscores the growing need for coordinated public-private action to secure water systems against increasingly sophisticated attacks.