Preparing United States Critical Infrastructure for Today's Evolving Water Crises: National Infrastructure Advisory Council Report

The President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council (“Council”) issued an August 2023 report titled:

Preparing United States Critical Infrastructure for Today’s Evolving Water Crises (“Report”)

In the context of water infrastructure, the Report identifies:

• Security and resilience challenges
• Recommendations to address such challenges

The Council is described as a group of senior executives from industry and state and local government who own and operate critical infrastructure. It was established by a Presidential Executive Order in 2021 to provide advice on practical strategies for industry and government to reduce complex risks to the designated critical infrastructure sectors. Council members are stated to conduct studies on physical and cyber risks to infrastructure and recommend solutions that both reduce risk and improve security and resilience.

The Report concludes that successful mitigation of the risks of water crises requires:

• Coordinated effort among owners, operators, and local, federal, and state government
• A response that is nuanced, timely, and intent on delivering results that strengthen security/resilience of such infrastructure
• Recognition that innovation, investment, and incentives play a pivotal role in creating long-term gains

Specific recommendations in the Report include:

• Aid Infrastructure Owners and Operators
  • Create, incentivize, and enforce standards for water use and quality.
  • Remove barriers to new ways of funding water projects.
  • Invest in innovation to increase storage, access, and management options for the future.
  • Assist low-income and vulnerable populations.
  • Increase national resiliency to drought, floods, and other water-related crises.
  •  Invest in the water infrastructure workforce.
• Mitigate Cross-Sector Impacts
  • Invest in reliable infrastructure in U.S. river systems to, among other things, improve energy generation capabilities and rehabilitate dams.
  • Modernize and make flood resilient the inland waterways transportation system and coastal waterways.
  • Support adaptive practices and promote smarter irrigation technology so farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners can more efficient and resilient.
• Create a National Water Strategy
  • Elevate the importance of water in the national consciousness through a public awareness program.
  • Institute either a Department of Water or some other entity that stewards water issues at the Cabinet level.

Topics address include:

• Challenges in the Evolving Water Crisis for Critical Infrastructure Owners and Operators
• Recommendations to Aid Infrastructure Owners and Operators
• Mitigation of Cross-Sector Impacts Due to the Water Crisis
• Recommendations to Mitigate Cross-Sector Impacts
• Need for a National Water Strategy
• Recommendations to Create a National Water Strategy
• Call to Action

Appendices of the Report include:

• Appendix A: Water Missions of U.S. Federal Agencies Mentioned in this Report
• Appendix B: Governmental Entities in Other Countries That Address Water
• Appendix C: Revolutionizing Water Through Game-Changing Technologies
• Appendix D: Historical Foundations of Two Cabinet Agencies
• Appendix E: Acknowledgements
• Appendix F: Definitions
• Appendix G: Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Appendix H: References

A copy of the Report can be found here.