March 23, 2023 |
Photo – City of Rawlins Water Treatment Plant – Bigfoot99 file photo
The computerized system that controls the water supply in Rawlins, from the treatment plant to the taps in the homes of residents, will receive a desperately needed upgrade thanks to a nearly million-dollar grant.
The city has applied for a $962,951 grant from the Wyoming Community Development Authority to replace the aging computers and controllers on its water system. City Engineer Austin Gilbert said the water treatment plant is using very outdated equipment.
The city’s water treatment plants are using old versions of computerized monitoring systems, called SCADA. Gilbert explained what SCADA means.
The SCADA system monitors the city’s water treatment plants, automatically adjusting and sending alerts when a problem arises anywhere in the chain. Gilbert said almost the entire SCADA system needs a refresh because the network is failing.
Gilbert said the system is so obsolete that it is hard to find spare parts. He said the city has had to resort to using online auction sites to purchase backup equipment of potentially dubious quality.
Rawlins residents know all too well how delicate their water infrastructure is. Last summer’s water main breaks drained the city’s tanks and left residents without drinkable water. Gilbert said the SCADA system is another vulnerable part of the water supply chain.
With the SCADA system down, city workers would need to be present at every pump house and treatment plant to physically hit switches and turn valves. Gilbert said that is why it’s important to have an operational SCADA system. He said the city has hired an engineering firm to determine the most financially responsible way to make the system more reliable.
The city spent $200,000 of its own money to hire an engineer to design an entirely new SCADA system. Gilbert said because the installed equipment is so out-of-date, brand-new hardware would be needed for the entire system. He compared it to building a computer. You wouldn’t put a 30-year CPU on a modern motherboard.
Gilbert said about half of the $963,000 Community Development Grant would cover the cost of updating the water treatment and pre-treatment plants. Gilbert said the wastewater plant is part of the design, but will have to wait for another funding opportunity.
The other half of the grant will go toward bonds and insurance, wi-fi and computer improvements, and administrative costs. Gilbert said the entire project should take about a year and a half to complete.
Gilbert said the project was only possible because of the hard work of city employees. Last November, workers went door-to-door to ensure residents completed the WCDA survey, putting the city into contention for the nearly million-dollar community development block grant.
