If you’ve seen the recent news about cyberattacks on water systems across the country, here’s what we want you to know first: your water is safe, and EJ Water has been preparing for exactly this kind of threat for years.
Now, the context. The FBI and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued a public warning that malicious actors have been targeting the technology that helps run water utilities. News like that can raise real questions for the families and communities who count on their local water system every day — so we want to be straightforward about how we’ve prepared.
Cybersecurity isn’t new to us
Long before these events made headlines, EJ Water made a deliberate decision to treat cybersecurity as a core part of running a modern water utility. For the past three years, we’ve focused intentionally on strengthening and protecting our systems against exactly this kind of threat. That’s not a reaction to the latest news — it’s the result of years of steady, behind-the-scenes work.
The proactive steps we’ve taken
Staying ahead of a threat means doing the work before anything goes wrong. Over the past several years, EJ Water has:
- Tested our own defenses, on purpose. We’ve partnered with the National Guard and the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to rigorously test our systems and find any weaknesses ourselves — so we can fix them before anyone else could exploit them.
- Partnered with the experts. Rather than going it alone, we’ve worked alongside leading national security specialists, giving us access to the best knowledge and tools available.
- Hardened our systems continuously. Every review gives us a clear picture of where we stand and a chance to make improvements, so our protections keep getting stronger over time.
- Prepared to keep water flowing no matter what. We plan and practice so that our team can keep delivering safe, reliable service even in the face of an attempted disruption.
A vote of confidence when it mattered
When the recent wave of cyberattacks occurred, our contacts at the FBI reached out to check in on us. We were glad to report that the precautions we’d already put in place did their job. These threats are real and worth taking seriously — but the steps we’d taken ahead of time meant our members’ water service was never at risk.
Why this matters for you
Safe, reliable water is the foundation of quality of life in rural Illinois. As a member-owned cooperative, we’re not a distant corporation — we’re your neighbors, and the people we serve have a real stake in how we operate. That relationship is exactly why we invest in staying ahead of threats rather than waiting to respond to them.
You shouldn’t have to think twice about whether the water coming out of your tap is safe and secure. Our job is to make sure you never have to. We’ll continue partnering with security experts, testing our systems, and doing the quiet, ongoing work that keeps your water protected. If you ever have questions about how we protect your service, we’re always happy to talk — that’s what being part of a cooperative is all about.
