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Water and Y2K |
US Senate Report on
Utilities and the Year 2000 Problem (pdf)
- WATER UTILITIES Overview Water: There are approximately 200,000 public water
systems (PWSs) regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act that serve 243 million people
in the United States. The remaining population obtains their drinking water from private
wells. PWSs are defined as community water systems, non-transient, non-community, or
transient systems. Approximately 60,000 of the 200,000 public water systems are classified
as community water systems. A community water system provides water to the same population
year round. There are 3,687 community water systems in the U.S., which serve a population
of 10,000 or more, and provide water to a total of 204 million people.
- Currently, no legal authority exists to require that power utility companies
consider water and wastewater companies as priority customers.
- During her testimony, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator Dana Minerva noted that
the EPA does not consider reliance on switching to the manual mode of operation as the
preferred solution to Y2K problems. Manpower limitations were cited during the testimony
as one impediment to a companys ability to easily switch to the manual mode of
operation. It was concluded that operation of water and wastewater plants in the manual
mode requires skilled and certified operators. It should also be noted that each water and
wastewater treatment system requires operators to possess a body of knowledge specific to
those individual systems. ...staffing would become an issue for his agency if manual
operations were required for an extended period of time.
- The EPA identified six major areas in water and wastewater treatment facilities
where embedded computer chips might be located. These are communications infrastructure,
instrumentation, facilities and support, materials tracking, production and process, and
process controls. The list included 51 individual devices that potentially could contain
embedded chip technology. Of primary concern in the water and wastewater industry is the
vulnerability of sensitive SCADA systems utilized in automated water and wastewater
processes deliver their services.
California State Water Resources Control Board: Waste Treatment and Y2K
UK National Infrastructure 2000
- Water and
Sewage - The industry has had a concerted approach to this issue for some considerable
time. In total the industry is estimated to have spent some £170m addressing the
Millennium date-change issue. The major part of this has been spent in assessment and
testing. Where changes were needed, these were largely in the form of replacing
non-compliant equipment. Of the items inspected or assessed (i.e. those which use or might
use date/time functions) some 3% needed to be modified or replaced. The vast majority
would, if not fixed, have caused only logging and recording problems rather than any
issues with safety or quality of delivery.
Water UK - promoting the UK water industry
- Water UK -
Industry moving ahead on Y2K bug Date: 23/04/1999 Bulletin Ref: w19990046 - The
water industry is on target to tackle the millennium bug, according to latest industry
figures. The update counters claims by a Sunday newspaper that the industry is lagging
behind in its preparations, and coincides with a National Infrastructure Forum held by
Action 2000, the government task force set up to deal with millennium issues.
US General Accounting Office: AIMD-99-151 Apr. 21, 1999
(43 pages). Year 2000 Computing Crisis: Status of the Water Industry.
- As a result, insufficient information is available to assess and manage Year 2000
efforts in the water sector, and little additional information is expected under the
current regulatory framework
US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Office of Water
Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies
American Water Works Association
Association of Metropolitan Sewage Agencies
- AMSA - Y2k Section
- AMSA Survey Documents - AMSA
member agencies appear to be on track for responding to the challenges posed by the Year
2000 (Y2K) "Millennium Bug," according to the results of a second Y2K survey
conducted by the Association. While survey results indicate that the majority of
responding agencies expect to be Y2K compliant by Jan 1, 2000, significant work on
remediation, testing and contingency planning will need to be conducted in 1999.
- AMSA Year 2000 Survey
Analysis - December 1998
- All responding agencies with automated process controls have the ability to switch to
manual operations almost immediately or within hours in the event of a Year 2000 failure.
Approximately 15 percent of AMSA agencies reported potential treatment plant problems and
possible compliance issues as a result of switching to manual mode.
- One of the biggest concerns in this situation is that collection system and plant
operational data would not be immediately accessible for the operators, and whether this
would lead to sewage backups, overflows, or compliance problems. However, most agencies
reported that switching to manual mode would pose no, or very minor, problems as many
automated operations run in parallel with "manual" instrumentation and control.
Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers
Association (No apparent Y2K)
- Water Online Virtual community
for the water industry
- Utilities Pose
Biggest Worldwide Y2K Threat May 22, 1999 - Less is known about how supplies of fresh
water will be affected by the year 2000 computer problem. An April assessment from the
U.S. Government Accounting Office, an independent watchdog agency, found that
"insufficient information is available to assess and manage year 2000 efforts in the
water sector, and little additional information is expected under the current regulatory
framework." The report did go on to note that large drinking water and public
wastewater facilities, serving most of the U.S. population, are generally expected to
manage well, with smaller facilities representing the largest unknowns.
American Public Works
Association
Water Environment Federation
Canadian Water Resources
Association
The World Bank Group
Partnerships in Development--Water
Lifewater.Org: Handpumps and water well drilling
training for safe drinking water
Sandec.ch: Water and Sanitation in Developing
Countries
UN Development Program
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