*Remember The Sewage Spill?* Now Manually Opening The Main Gate Valve -

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[For Fair Use: Educational/Research Purposes Only]

http://www.latimes.com/editions/valley/sfnews/19991120/t000105846.html

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Sewage Plant Passes Latest Y2K Test

By PATRICK MCGREEVY

Five months after a big sewage spill followed a Y2K readiness test in Van Nuys, a follow-up test was completed this week without any problems, officials said Friday.

On June 16, nearly 3 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into Woodley Avenue Park from the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant during a test.

The test involved switching the plant over to an emergency generator, which could be required if year 2000 computer problems cause a power outage in the city. A sewer main was mistakenly shut, causing sewage to back up and spill into the park.

In a test Wednesday night, the sewer main gate was secured manually into the open position so there was no spill when the plant switched to emergency power, said James Langley, assistant director of the city Sanitation Bureau.

"We're in good shape for the new year," Langley said Friday after the test data was analyzed.

The agency was criticized after the June test for a long delay in realizing that sewage was leaking into the park.

As a precaution, the city put spotters in the park Wednesday night so that they could alert the plant if a sewage leak occurred.

As for the computer problem that closed the sewage main, Langley said a new computer system is being installed that will solve that problem. Another test of the Tillman plant is scheduled for Dec. 3.

He said a similar test at the city's Hyperion Treatment Plant has turned up a problem with the two emergency generators not working well in tandem, but that is being resolved and the plant should be ready for Jan. 1.

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More tests to come.

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-- snooze button (alarmclock_2000@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999

Answers

new computer system to be installed.... real soon now

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 01, 1999.

The link has expired since the story ran 11/20.

But WAIT... you mean the spill happened FIVE AND A HALF MONTHS ago, it embarrassed the heck out of the mayor (which you would think would bump it up to a priority status if a park full of sewage didn't), and still we are doing MANUAL WORKAROUNDS and talking in the future tense about the new computer system that WILL BE installed???? And this was a system that the mayor was so sure was tested and compliant he did a big public thingy over it???

31 days to go.

Are you ready for the Mother of all Three Day Storms?

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 01, 1999.


The link has expired since the story ran 11/20.

But WAIT... you mean the spill happened FIVE AND A HALF MONTHS ago, it embarrassed the heck out of the mayor (which you would think would bump it up to a priority status if a park full of sewage didn't), and still we are doing MANUAL WORKAROUNDS and talking in the future tense about the new computer system that WILL BE installed???? And this was a system that the mayor was so sure was tested and compliant he did a big public thingy over it???

31 days to go.

Are you ready for the Mother of all Three "Day" Storms?

[I'm beginning to think "Day" is being used in the Biblical sense... as in On day one God created the heavens and the earth.]

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 01, 1999.


Yes, Linda that does appear to be the case.

-- snooze button (alarmclock_2000@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.

Ah - The truth about testing - been there done, done that, ...... Yes - folks, it really needs to be tested this way......and there will be thousands (millions ?) of similar incidents in many places over the next little while.

See, they ran a simple test to try to shift power to the emergency generators.....the turnover controls "failed" during the power change from normal to emergency - could be dozens of reasons (wiring wrong, bad hookup, good hookup, but control wires didn't read the ckt, .... doesn't matter, the valve stayed shut/got shut/didn't open under emergency power, etc.....

result was: the valve stayed shut, but sewage kept coming ---- nobody noticed until millions of gallons were dumped into the park.

SO - they "fixed" the problem - for the "next test" - by locking the valve open manually - which could/might/will cause future problems when they next try to run the plant normally/abnormally/under emergency conditions/under the next shift/after some other problem happens.....and the sewage will overflow/backup/not fill/not release the next time.....

BUT notice: they never (in 6 months) really fixed the problem with controlling the valve so the plant can run under emergency conditons and emergency controls ---- BUT they will be able to "loudly claim" Y2K TEST SUCCESSFUL - - - - -

but the fundemental problem will remain - until the sewage spills someplace else.

Repeat again at some other/many other/almost all other place(s) with slightly different valves and emergency power (if any) and a different control system......

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Sorry Diane, others in metropolitan areas, you ain't seen nothing yet.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), December 01, 1999.



Working a sewer gate manaully--what a sh!tty job.

-- Ocotillo (peeling@out.===), December 01, 1999.

For antone interested in two sides of the Tillman spill story, visit the Water Board's site (http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/y2k/y2k.html) There are some very good Y2k lessons to be learned from the experience.

-- Michael (mgentry@oit.swrcb.ca.gov), December 01, 1999.

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