Water: What Can Go Wrong...

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The following was posted to the Y2K Water List:

From : David Myrick
Date : June 9, 1998

Dave Hunter [wrote],

[snip]

>Why should water or sewage treatment info be any more difficult to come
>by than electricity? Since many, if not most, water and sewage districts
>are government entities, wouldn't this information be publicly available
>if asked for? Would we probably have to use the Freedom of Information
>Act to get it?

[snip]

The fact that they are government entities does not mean that they will provide the information; at least not until they are forced to. When I first began working with this client I requested that all of the information be made public, especially via the web. They did not consider this information necessarily public. Their stand is invalid, but it will take force, political or otherwise to move them.

[snip]

>Are there certain types of systems (software (mainframe or PC) and
>embedded) that water utilities use that are pretty much common to most
>water utilities?

[snip]

Yes. Some of the software used monitors water flow and usage, providing historic and planning information.

[snip]

>What kind of bodily harm and property damage are we talking about -
>flooding, lack of water to customers, lack of clean, safe water? Can you
>identify a list of probable outcomes of Y2K failure in relation to water?

[snip]

Potential Risks from device failures

  1. Dam overflow - property damage, loss of water supply, bodily injury

  2. Fill levels - loss of supply, overflow

  3. Chemical levels - excessive chlorine or fluoride levels resulting in bodily injury or death

  4. Chemical levels - lack of chlorine and other purifiers resulting in widespread sickness and death.

  5. Water flow - loss of water supply for pumped areas.

  6. Sewage Flow - sewage backup into businesses and homes resulting in property damage and revenue loss.

  7. 7. Communication failure - remote devices unable to report data or problems.

  8. Power failure - critical devices not supported with power backup systems will not operate, resulting in all of the above. In the case of communication and power failures, these events of occurred as a result of recent forest fires. The political powers that be have refused to provide the necessary funds to install backup power and communication systems.

[snip]

>Are there web sites that we could visit to learn more? [snip]

Check out Dave Hall's, Y2KI and Y2KNET. Y2KI has several CDs full of information.

Regards,
David Myrick
Myrick Consulting Services



-- Bill (billdale@lakesnet.net), June 10, 1998

Answers

From: "Y2K Water" [y2k-water@parousie.com]

From : Mel Damewood
Date : June 10, 1998

You wrote:

>From : David Myrick
>Date : June 9, 1998

[snip] > 3. Chemical levels - excessive chlorine or fluoride levels resulting in bodily injury or death

Hogwash! That would take some very serious ineptness on behalf of operators in order for that to happen. Embedded chips or not! Most operators are certified, espeically when dealing with gas chlorine. There is a level of minimum competency here that needs to be taken into account. Give our operators some credit here! Besides, most rota-meters are mechanical devices that are not dependent on chips and if automated, can be over-ridden to operate manually.

> 4. Chemical levels - lack of chlorine and other purifiers resulting in widespread sickness and death.

A more likely scenario. They are called "disinfectants" in the industry.

> 5. Water flow - loss of water supply for pumped areas.

That is why we have reservoirs and generators, but all pump stations are suseptable to power outages at any time and contigency plans should be addressed.

> 7. Communication failure - remote devices unable to report data or problems.

Go back to drive by your facilties to see how thay are doing like they did 20 years ago!

> 8. Power failure - critical devices not supported with power backup systems will not operate, resulting in all of the above.

In the case of communication and power failures, these events of occurred as a result of recent forest fires. The political powers that be have refused to provide the necessary funds to install backup power and communication systems.

If the grid goes down we're all screwed. Again the only options here are good contigency and emergency action planning

Mel Damewood



-- Bill (billdale@lakesnet.net), June 11, 1998.


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