A consortium in Mesa County has received a grant of $412,558 from the Economic Development Commission to launch a pilot program focused on water security. The initiative will be developed at Colorado Mesa University’s Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center.
The group, known as the Resilient & Adaptive Cyber Protection of Industrial Control Devices & Systems (RAPIDS) consortium, includes representatives from Mesa County, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction Economic Partnership, City of Grand Junction, the Colorado River District and cybersecurity expert Kurtis Minder.
The RAPIDS project aims to protect critical infrastructure by improving water management systems and establishing secure ways to measure and manage water resources. A central goal is to create a Minimum Viable Measurement standard and network real-time data for better coordination among agencies that use water from the Colorado River Basin.
According to organizers, cyberattacks targeting water utilities have increased significantly in recent years. The new program at CMU will work on defining standards for secure measurement and develop methods to combine and protect data from different sources. This will lead to a prototype system demonstrating how secure water technologies can function. The effort also plans to develop educational programs for future professionals in secure water systems.
“Colorado Mesa University’s Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center is proud to partner with the RAPIDS consortium as the central hub for this innovative pilot program,” said Shannon Wadas, executive director of the Water Center. “The Water Center’s mission is rooted in addressing water issues in the Upper Colorado River Basin, and this collaboration will accelerate solutions for secure water measurement and workforce development — critical components in working toward a more resilient water future.”
