Alpena Township officials have approved a $14,495 upgrade to the cellular equipment controlling the township’s water system, citing vulnerabilities exposed after a cybersecurity incident involving industrial control equipment.
The Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday to approve the work. The decision came about a month after trustees tabled the same quote while seeking more information. Trustee Steve Lappan was absent and did not participate in the vote.
What the upgrade will do
The work will be completed by UIS SCADA Inc. of Dexter, a Michigan company that installs industrial monitoring systems. The approved quote, dated Aug. 5, covers 15 Pepwave 4G cellular modems with firewall functions and IP whitelisting, along with a new antenna and cables for each modem, programming and startup services.
SCADA stands for supervisory control and data acquisition. The system allows township operators to monitor pumps, tanks and sewer stations remotely rather than traveling to each location. Programmable logic controllers at wells, booster stations and lift stations transmit tank levels, pump status and alarms through cellular modems. Depending on the installation, the connection can also be used to change settings such as a booster pump’s operating level.
Township Clerk Michele Palevich said the board’s earlier delay prompted a visit from federal investigators.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigations found out we tabled the quote and came in and spoke with us,” Palevich said.
During the meeting, Trustee Russ Rhynard asked whether trustees still needed to act on the quote. Palevich responded:
“We need to act on it because our system is vulnerable,” Palevich said.
Cybersecurity concerns and grant application
The township’s action follows a cybersecurity incident described in a July 29 letter from Brian Davis, UIS SCADA’s IT director. Davis wrote that the incident occurred July 27 and involved programmable logic controllers. He said UIS had confirmed a response plan with federal and local cyber authorities and would limit communication through customer modems to help prevent unauthorized access to PLC networks.
Davis also warned that not all equipment in service could support the new security measures, meaning some hardware would need to be replaced. Township officials said the modem and antenna replacement approved Monday is intended to address those known weaknesses.
Palevich said a grant opportunity became available Sept. 14. Supervisor Abbi Kaszubowski said the township plans to apply for the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.
“The grant would allow for a security analysis of our entire system including the SCADA and prepare a report that we could present to the Board of Trustees with recommendations. There is no cost for this service,” Kaszubowski said.
The proposed grant-funded review would examine the township’s computer and control systems, including SCADA, and produce recommendations for trustees. It would be separate from Monday’s equipment purchase and would not replace the approved upgrade.
Kaszubowski previously described the SCADA update as necessary to close known vulnerabilities, strengthen defenses and help prevent another disruption. The $14,495 purchase authorizes the equipment replacement now, while the broader security analysis depends on the township receiving the grant.