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Cyber Investigation Underway at Detroit Water Facility After Network Intrusion Attempt

A wide, landscape view of dozens of round clarifier tanks and tan silos at a Detroit water treatment facility, with roads between the basins and a hazy city skyline in the background.
Circular clarifier basins and storage silos at a Great Lakes Water Authority treatment facility in Detroit, Michigan, seen with the city skyline in the distance. Proto credit: Great Lakes Water Authority via Facebook (posted Dec. 4, 2023).
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Michigan State Police and the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) are investigating a suspected cyber intrusion involving a monitoring and reporting system at the Northeast Water Treatment Plant in Detroit, Michigan. Authorities were alerted Sunday evening to a potential breach of the system, which GLWA confirmed is standalone and not tied to operational water treatment functions. The plant, located on Eight Mile Road, has a daily treatment capacity of 300 million gallons. Officials emphasized that water quality was never at risk during the incident.

Screenshot of a July 30, 2025, statement from the Great Lakes Water Authority describing a potential cyber breach of a standalone monitoring system at the Northeast Water Treatment Plant in Detroit. The statement emphasizes that water quality was never compromised and notes that GLWA is working with state and federal cyber units on the investigation.
GLWA’s official July 30, 2025, statement confirms a potential cyber intrusion attempt on a standalone system at its Northeast Water Treatment Plant in Detroit.

GLWA has since enhanced cybersecurity measures at the facility and is collaborating with state and federal law enforcement cyber units to assess the breach. While the system targeted is reportedly isolated from treatment operations, the scale of the response—including involvement from Michigan State Police and federal cyber units—suggests the incident is being taken seriously. The Northeast facility is one of five water treatment plants operated by GLWA, which serves southeast Michigan communities across Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties. The investigation remains active and reflects broader concerns over vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, even in seemingly minor incidents.

DysruptionHub Staff

DysruptionHub Staff

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