SC Rural Water Association - SCRWA

Another highlight of WaterPro was to sit in on the "Learning from Loss" session with Lisa Evatt. Lisa is the HR, Payroll, Benefits Specialist & Safety Advisor with Anderson Regional Joint Water System in Anderson, SC. ARJWS lost an employee on the jobsite in 2024. Since then, Lisa has become passionate about sharing the story, how to deal with and accept the grief and the changes ARJWS implemented after the incident. Thank you for sharing this story and your experience with us, Lisa!
National Rural Water Association (NRWA)

This week, half of SCRWA's staff has been in Phoenix for National Rural Water Association (NRWA)'s WaterPro, which offers great learning & networking opportunities. SCRWA's very own Linda Evans spoke at the 7th Women in Rural Water luncheon.

PS: This low humidity is life changing! They aren't kidding when they say "it's a different kind of heat."

We enjoyed hearing from Glen R. Smith, Under Secretary for Rural Development, on the second day of 2026 Water Pro Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. #

Welcome to our newest apprentices from Low Country Regional Water! These apprentices are beginning the Water Distribution track of the SCRWA Apprenticeship H20 Program, where they will gain valuable knowledge, hands-on experience, and skills to build successful careers in the water industry. .

I had the pleasure of visiting The Town of Hemingway and spending some time with Mr. Ken Laster, a true veteran of the water and wastewater industry. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Ken began his career in 1973, earning $1.28 per hour. Although Ken officially retired April 30 of this year, his service has not stopped. He continues to assist the Town of Hemingway as a mentor for the SCRWA Apprenticeship H20 Program, sharing his five decades of knowledge and experience with the new faces joining the water and wastewater profession. 52 years of service is an extraordinary accomplishment, but perhaps an even greater legacy is his willingness to pass that knowledge on to the next generation!

Congratulations to another 2026 Apprenticeship H2O graduate! Ben Griffin with the City of Walhalla, SC completed the water treatment path in April. Learn more about the Apprenticeship Program on our website: https://www.scrwa.org/workforce-development.html

Congratulations to SCRWA's latest Apprenticeship H2O graduate! Blake Hodge with Lowcountry Regional Water System completed the water distribution path. Learn more about the Apprenticeship Program on our website: https://www.scrwa.org/workforce-development.html

September is Preparedness Month in South Carolina

South Carolina experiences a wide variety of natural disasters, many which can directly impact water and wastewater systems. Simple steps, such as making an emergency plan can make a huge difference in how quickly and effectively utilities can respond and recovery to disruptions.

During September, SCRWA encourages systems to:

* Review and update Emergency Response Plans
* Update Emergency Contacts with SCRWA and SCWARN
* Make sure you have connections with your county Emergency Management office and LEPC.
* Review and exercise plans with staff
* Make a schedule to update and review plans regularly

# EmergencyResponse

Thanks to Eric Prince with Tracer Electronics who led a Utility Locates and Metering Technology class for us last week!

Change default passwords immediately!

As a best practice and in light of recent analysis of this cyber activity targeting water and wastewater systems, the National Rural Water Cybersecurity Center recommends that utilities change default passwords, especially for public-facing, internet-connected devices that can control operational technology systems or processes. Access to these devices is often set to default or easily guessable passwords, including credentials that can be identified using publicly available tools and resources.

Utilities should establish and enforce a strict policy requiring all manufacturer-default passwords to be replaced on hardware, software, and firmware before those assets are connected to any internal or external network. This requirement should also apply to IT assets that support operational technology environments, including OT administration web pages.

Utilities should require passwords or phrases of at least 15 characters for all password-protected IT assets and operational technology assets when technically feasible. Consider including a combination of non-repeating and non-sequential uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Contact your IT staff or integrator to change default passwords immediately. To be connected with a DEF CON Franklin cybersecurity expert volunteer for free cybersecurity assistance, contact [email protected].