http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=1999/12/10/70604

Drinking Water, Sewage Not Ready for Y2K NewsMax.com December 10, 1999

Turning on a water faucet, flushing a toilet - Americans do it almost without thinking. They'd better start thinking, a new Y2K study suggests.

"There are serious doubts that the 55,000 drinking-water utilities and the 16,000 publicly owned wastewater facilities in the United States will be prepared for Y2K," according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for Y2K & Society.

Based on surveys by the American Water Works Association and similar groups, the report notes that at least 60 percent of the drinking-water facilities responding had failed to finish even the preliminary stage of Y2K upgrades by June.

And it found more than 85 percent of wastewater treatment facilities are unprepared to cope with computer glitches caused by uncorrected computers' inability to tell the year 1900 from 2000 on Jan. 1.

"Clearly, many water systems are going to operate without problems," said Norman Dean, executive director of the Center for Y2K & Society.

"However, our report indicates that some are likely to suffer Y2K-related problems."

A computer-crippled water-treatment facility would do more than endanger supples of drinking water for humans.

It could also cripple firefighting, flow of sewerage and treatment of raw sewage, due to low water pressure and reduced stocks of chemicals used in treatment of water.

"We are very concerned about wastewater preparedness," said Don Meyer, spokesman for the Senate Y2K Committee. "However, we disagree that drinking water is in crisis."

Jon DeBoers of the American Water Works Association said, "The vast majority of the water systems have tested most of their critical components and are confident that they are Y2K-ready."

But he agreed extended electric-power brown- or black-outs could disrupt water and sewer plants.

Chuck Fox, Environmental Protection Agency deputy administrator for water, said trouble would most likely occur in smaller utilities."

The report blames the EPA and President Clinton's Y2K Council for not responding aggressively after the surveys appeared.

For the latest news on Y2K, links and commentary visit the "Y2KDaily".

-- Uncle Bob (UNCLB0B@AOL.COM), December 10, 1999

Answers

My sister heard part of this on MSNBC last night but didn't hear the source, so we weren't sure. Now, of all things, wouldn't this be likely to alarm people? My sister was up half the night worrying although we have a two or three months of water plus the ability to convert river water into drinking water--filters for both biological contaminents and chemical, containers, and a little red wagon.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 10, 1999.

Read the report for yourself: it's at http://www.y2kcenter.org/resources/centerpubs/

It explains how the industry's June report was MISINTERPRETED by the Senate Committee and the President's council, leading to an overly- rosy view of the drinking water industry's readiness.

A follow-up survey by AMWA (Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies) in September was of little use because it consisted of only two questions and failed to ask utilities if they had completed the final, most critical, and often longest phases: TESTING & IMPLEMENTATION. Of course, none of the surveys asked about IV&V.

NRWA's (National Rural Water Assn) survey hasn't even been released yet!

-- d (d@d.com), December 10, 1999.

Mara,

What's the deal with the little red wagon?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), December 10, 1999.

Lars, got a way to haul?

-- wagon (on@band.wagon), December 10, 1999.