Federal Water Cybersecurity Pilot Launches in Texas

The Trump administration and Texas officials on August 31, 2026, launched Project Watershed 250, a six-month pilot program in San Antonio designed to bolster the cybersecurity of the state's water systems against foreign hacking threats. The initiative, which brings together federal agencies, Texas Cyber Command, and a consortium of private technology companies, aims to provide participating utilities with advanced cybersecurity and artificial intelligence tools at no cost. If successful, the model is intended to be expanded nationwide.

The program was announced at a roundtable event by White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. "Project Watershed 250 puts federal, state, and private-sector cyber defenses behind our utilities at no cost," Abbott stated. The pilot will be coordinated by the Office of the National Cyber Director, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Texas Cyber Command, which was established in 2025 with state funding.

Participating private firms include Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, Dragos, Fortinet, Cloudflare, and others. These companies will provide expertise,...