State Senate Committee Chairs to Host Hearing on Municipal Water Cybersecurity

On Thursday, October 1, 2026, Chair of the State Senate Cities 2 Committee Senator Christopher J. Ryan, Chair of the State Senate Cities 1 Committee Senator Erik Bottcher, and Chair of the State Senate Local Government Committee Senator Monica Martinez will host a hearing on municipal water cybersecurity. This hearing will bring together water system operators, local officials, and cybersecurity experts to discuss emerging risks, evaluate system vulnerabilities across the state, and determine whether existing state resources and technical support are sufficient to protect these essential public services. 

“Clean, reliable water is something every New Yorker depends on, and our local water systems are essential to the health and safety of our communities,” said Senator Ryan, Chair of the Senate’s Cities 2 Committee. “As cyber threats become more sophisticated, we need to make sure municipalities have the resources, training, and technical support they need to protect these critical systems. This hearing will give us an opportunity to hear directly from the people on the front lines, understand the challenges they are facing, and identify practical steps we can take at the state level to strengthen the cybersecurity of our water infrastructure.” 

The hearing will primarily discuss how cybersecurity requirements could affect existing public health, environmental, procurement, and municipal cooperation laws. A substantial portion of the hearing will discuss the impacts implementing cybersecurity for municipal water infrastructure will impact both urban and rural municipalities across New York State, financially and otherwise.

The session will take place at 12:00 p.m. in the Senate Hearing Room on the 19th floor at 250 Broadway in New York City.  Oral testimony during the hearing will be by invitation only.