b'SECTION II - SECTION II -KEY PRIORITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS KEY PRIORITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONSOperational Reliability & ResilienceWSSC Waters mission is to provide safe andshocks and stressors. Critical to ensuring WSSCprogress is necessary to meet goals. Actionprocesses is a need to institutionalize and grow reliable water and return clean water to ourWaters mission continuity is identifying andon the microgrid study for Potomac WaterWSSC Waters enterprise-wide emergency environment in an ethical, sustainable andaddressing any single points of failure, building onFiltration Plant should be prioritized. Identifying anmanagement functions. This should include a financially responsible manner. To do this, weexisting continuity of operations programs andempowered leader to drive these decisions maymore robust and resourced preparedness cycle must invest in our infrastructure and operationsregularly testing and exercising WSSC Watersimprove WSSC Waters ability to move forwardaimed at continuously improving emergency to build resilience, prepare for any hazard andresponse capabilities.on this and other climate-related issues.responses to ensure quick, mitigate risks across the organization. Mitigatingresilient recovery from any risk and building resilience are core to theAddressing Evolving Cyber Risk and Building CyberAddressing these challenges in operationalhazard. missionand must be integrated into everyResilienceSecuring and maintaining resilientresilience will require an all-of-the-above aspect of WSSC Waters business. IT and communications infrastructure is crucialapproach to solutions. Investment in infrastructureCybersecurity is a key driver to meeting WSSC Waters mission. Weand systems that add to our resilience andof risk, and networked Focus Areaswill implement defense strategies by aligningconsider capacity and financial considerationssystems are critical with industry best practices that are essentialis the most important long-term solution tocomponents of WSSC Enterprise Risk Management and Mitigation ofoperations to thwart vulnerabilities and defendchallenges in operational resilience. In the nearWater operations, regulatory Risks, Focus on ClimateA prepared and resilientagainst an evolving threat landscape. term, WSSC Water can grow and supportcompliance, customer utility must identify, evaluate and rank the risksemergency management functions that haveservice and revenue. As that could compromise WSSC Waters ability toCoordinate WSSC Waters Response to Crisisalready proven effective, build capacity forreliance on IT systems for provide customers with safe and reliable waterand Implement the Preparedness CycleTheprocedure development, and engineer moreoperations increases, the and return clean water to our environment. principles of emergency management have beenrobust and transparent systems for situationalsecurity and resilience of Coordination of resources and accountabilitydemonstrated, in crisis after crisis, to be anawareness.these systems must grow in for the actions necessary to minimize, monitoreffective method for managing consequencesproportion to their criticality. and/or control the impacts of potential risks isand recovering from a crisis as a more resilientImproving WSSC Waters resilience and missionInvesting in risk management and cybersecurity critical to building resilience and ensuring WSSCorganization. Continuing to build emergencycontinuity requires written policies, proceduresis a top priority throughout WSSC Water and Water is prepared. Assess and adapt to themanagement capacity, institutionalizing theand plans to ensure effective knowledgedeveloping processes to expedite necessary impacts of climate change on our infrastructuresystems, plans and skills necessary for adocumentation and transfer. Managers needimprovements is essential. Our Governance, Risk and aggressively invest in projects ensuring ourcoordinated and effective response, and betterresources and experts to assist in that processand Compliance is monitored and measured by systems can withstand the enhanced threatsincorporating the preparedness cycle forbecause many feel they lack the necessary tools,utilizing frameworks such as Center for Internet and risks driven by a changing climate whilecontinuous improvement will position WSSCresources or skills. Reassessing, drafting andSecurity (CIS) 8.0 and other best guidance from supporting efforts to achieve local, regional,Water to respond to all risk scenarios moreupdating internal operating procedures is crucialCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency statewide, national and international climatestrategically. to overall mission continuity and reliability.(CISA) and National Institute for Standards and goals. An emphasis should also be put onConcurrent with efforts to document existingTechnology (NIST).Cybersecurity projects in IT developing and implementing the biosolids/waterInsightsresiduals master plan and business plan. Enterprise Risk Management plays a critical role Resilient Infrastructure and SystemsWe mustin ensuring reliable and resilient service. One monitor the status of all infrastructure assets andfull-time employee currently staffs the function, replace or upgrade them based on the highestand there is a lack of clarity on the role of the priority needs with a focus on risk reductionoffice and its relationship with other risk-related and resilience. We must ensure effective assetfunctions. The office lacks the actual or implied management and equity to improve infrastructureauthority to effectively drive progress on risk and service reliability in disadvantagedreduction and mitigation. communities. The uncertainty and poly-crisis driven by a Continuity, Reliability and Accountability inwarming climate remain key enterprise risks. Operations - Mission continuity is impossibleCurrently, the Climate and Vulnerability without resilient assetsphysical and human.Assessment is being implemented disjointedly Resilient infrastructure is reliable and effectiveand there is a lack of consensus on adopting in all circumstances. A resilient system canvarious strategies. The Greenhouse Gas withstand, adapt to, and recover positively from(GHG) Reduction Plan is underway, but further 30 WSSC Water 2023 Transition Report WSSC Water 2023 Transition Report 31'