Citizens Says Safeguards In Place To Protect Water Supply

Water plant facilities around the country are on alert after the computer system of a Florida city’s water treatment facility was randomly hacked to alter the water’s chemical content. 

Last week, someone took remote contol of a computer at the water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Florida raised the level of sodium hydroxide in the city's drinking water to unsafe levels. A plant operator noticed what had happened and reset the levels before the chemical entered the water supply.   

Citizens Energy Group is the water services provider in the Indianapolis area. Manager of Corporate Communications Dan Considine explained the safeguards in place here.

“Our overall computer systems have a very robust cybersecurity plan that deploys advanced electronic safeguards designed to both prevent cyber intrusions into our computer systems and to isolate an attack should it occur,” Considine said.

READ MORE: FBI Called In After Hacker Tries To Poison Tampa-Area City's Water With Lye

Dan Moran is director for water quality for Citizens Energy Group. He says any changes at the plant cannot be done using a computer:

“All of our actual water treatment plant adjustments that are conducted at our facilities have to be done on site," Moran said. "There’s no ability for anyone on our staff to do those remotely.”

Citizens Energy Group services more than 800,000 residential and business customers in the Indianapolis area.

Florida authorities, the FBI and Secret Service are investigting the incident in Oldsmar.