Control statement
Protect the system from damage resulting from water leakage by providing master shutoff or isolation valves that are accessible, working properly, and known to key personnel.
Discussion
The provision of water damage protection primarily applies to organizational facilities that contain concentrations of system resources, including data centers, server rooms, and mainframe computer rooms. Isolation valves can be employed in addition to or in lieu of master shutoff valves to shut off water supplies in specific areas of concern without affecting entire organizations.
From control text to operational evidence
Use Water Damage Protection as a testable risk decision. Translate the official statement into accountable people, repeatable processes, configured technology, and evidence that demonstrates the outcome over time. In this family, pay particular attention to physical access, facility protection, environmental safeguards, and visitor accountability.
Implementation workflow
- Define the control boundary, responsible owner, inherited portions, and systems or processes in scope.
- Resolve each organization-defined parameter before declaring the control implemented.
- Document how the implementation satisfies every clause of the official control statement.
- Collect evidence as a normal byproduct of operation rather than only before an assessment.
- Review exceptions, changes, and monitoring results on a risk-based cadence.
Evidence examples
- badge and visitor logs
- physical access reviews
- facility diagrams and sensor records
- environmental and power test results
Common failure patterns
- logical security assumptions invalidated by physical access
- tailgating and visitor exceptions normalized
- critical infrastructure not included in access reviews
- environmental alarms not integrated into response
Questions practitioners should ask
- What risk decision is this control intended to support in this system?
- Which parts are implemented locally, inherited, shared, or not applicable—and what evidence supports that decision?
- Do the documented narrative, deployed configuration, operating process, and collected evidence agree?
- What event or threshold requires the implementation to be reviewed or changed?
Assessment objectives and methods
Show the assessment objective
- PE-15[01]the system is protected from damage resulting from water leakage by providing master shutoff or isolation valves;
- PE-15[02]the master shutoff or isolation valves are accessible;
- PE-15[03]the master shutoff or isolation valves are working properly;
- PE-15[04]the master shutoff or isolation valves are known to key personnel.
Examine
- Physical and environmental protection policy
- procedures addressing water damage protection
- facility housing the system
- master shutoff valves
- list of key personnel with knowledge of location and activation procedures for master shutoff valves for the plumbing system
- master shutoff valve documentation
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with responsibilities for system environmental controls
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
Test
- Master water-shutoff valves
- organizational process for activating master water shutoff
Related controls
These relationships come from the official OSCAL catalog. They indicate useful dependencies or context, not automatic inheritance or equivalence.
Control enhancements
Enhancements add specificity, strength, or scope to the base control. Baseline badges show explicit selections in the official SP 800-53B OSCAL profiles.
PE-15(1) — Automation Support
Detect the presence of water near the system and alert [Organization-defined: personnel or roles] using [Organization-defined: automated mechanisms].
Official discussion
Automated mechanisms include notification systems, water detection sensors, and alarms.
Organization-defined parameters (2)
Assessment objectives and methods
- PE-15(01)[01]the presence of water near the system can be detected automatically;
- PE-15(01)[02][Organization-defined: personnel or roles] is/are alerted using [Organization-defined: automated mechanisms].
Examine
- Physical and environmental protection policy
- procedures addressing water damage protection
- facility housing the system
- automated mechanisms for water shutoff valves
- automated mechanisms for detecting the presence of water in the vicinity of the system
- alerts/notifications of water detection in system facility
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with responsibilities for system environmental controls
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
Test
- Automated mechanisms supporting and/or implementing water detection capabilities and alerts for the system
Authoritative sources
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