Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§300i–4 Supply disruption prevention, detection and response

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 6A— - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER XII— - SAFETY OF PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS › Part Part D— - Emergency Powers › § 300i–4

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Require the Administrator to work with other federal agencies and, if needed, hire outside experts to study how terrorists or others could harm public drinking water or make it unsafe. The study must look at ways pipes and other parts of water systems could be destroyed or stopped from delivering safe water; ways treatment, storage, and collection facilities could be damaged; ways systems could be changed to cause cross‑contamination; ways to protect those systems from attacks; and ways that process controls, SCADA, and other computer or cyber control systems at community water systems could be disrupted. The study must also review how to provide alternate drinking water if systems are destroyed, damaged, or contaminated. Reviews must cover water systems of different sizes and parts of the country and may focus on vulnerable regions, including the National Capital area. The Administrator must share results with community water systems (for example, through the Information Sharing and Analysis Center). Up to $15,000,000 is authorized for fiscal year 2002, and additional sums may be provided for fiscal years 2003 through 2005.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §300i–4

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Administrator, in coordination with the appropriate departments and agencies of the Federal Government, shall review (or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements to provide for a review of) methods and means by which terrorists or other individuals or groups could disrupt the supply of safe drinking water or take other actions against water collection, pretreatment, treatment, storage and distribution facilities which could render such water significantly less safe for human consumption, including each of the following:

(1)Methods and means by which pipes and other constructed conveyances utilized in public water systems could be destroyed or otherwise prevented from providing adequate supplies of drinking water meeting applicable public health standards.

(2)Methods and means by which collection, pretreatment, treatment, storage and distribution facilities utilized or used in connection with public water systems and collection and pretreatment storage facilities used in connection with public water systems could be destroyed or otherwise prevented from providing adequate supplies of drinking water meeting applicable public health standards.

(3)Methods and means by which pipes, constructed conveyances, collection, pretreatment, treatment, storage and distribution systems that are utilized in connection with public water systems could be altered or affected so as to be subject to cross-contamination of drinking water supplies.

(4)Methods and means by which pipes, constructed conveyances, collection, pretreatment, treatment, storage and distribution systems that are utilized in connection with public water systems could be reasonably protected from terrorist attacks or other acts intended to disrupt the supply or affect the safety of drinking water.

(5)Methods and means by which information systems, including process controls and supervisory control and data acquisition and cyber systems at community water systems could be disrupted by terrorists or other groups.

(b)The review under this section shall also include a review of the methods and means by which alternative supplies of drinking water could be provided in the event of the destruction, impairment or contamination of public water systems.

(c)In carrying out this section and section 300i–3 of this title—

(1)the Administrator shall ensure that reviews carried out under this section reflect the needs of community water systems of various sizes and various geographic areas of the United States; and

(2)the Administrator may consider the vulnerability of, or potential for forced interruption of service for, a region or service area, including community water systems that provide service to the National Capital area.

(d)As soon as practicable after reviews carried out under this section or section 300i–3 of this title have been evaluated, the Administrator shall disseminate, as appropriate as determined by the Administrator, to community water systems information on the results of the project through the Information Sharing and Analysis Center, or other appropriate means.

(e)There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section and section 300i–3 of this title not more than $15,000,000 for the fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be necessary for the fiscal years 2003 through 2005.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 300i–4

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73