USA TODAY: Water and Wastewater systems are vulnerable!greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread |
Only three weeks exactly until y2k and now they say water systems are vulnerable.----------------------------------------------------------------------
Y2K study: Water supplies are vulnerable
By M.J. Zuckerman, USA TODAY
Drinking water and sewage facilities are threatened by the looming Y2K computer glitch, according to a study by two watchdog agencies that blames government and industry with lax oversight.
"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," the report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for Y2K & Society says.
The report is drawn from surveys conducted by groups such as the American Water Works Association, which found that no more than 40% of those responding had completed the first stage of Y2K upgrades by June. Further, the report notes, fewer than 15% of wastewater treatment facilities are prepared.
Although the study sparked debate among government and industry representatives, all agreed that every household should stockpile water - a gallon of water per day per person to last a minimum of four days - through the first few months of 2000.
"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."
With only three weeks remaining, water joins a short list of likely Y2K trouble spots, including 911 systems, schools, scattered power facilities and some medical and social service systems.
The report notes that low water pressure could interfere with firefighting, and Y2K interruptions could cut stockpiles of water treatment chemicals.
"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 conceded that survey results were not entirely encouraging but said, "The vast majority of the water systems have tested most of their critical components and are confident that they are Y2K-ready."
He acknowledged that any prolonged power failure would create great difficulties for water and sewage stations.
The report blames the Environmental Protection Agency and President Clinton's Y2K Council for not responding aggressively after the surveys came out.
-- BB (peace2u@bellatlantic.net), December 10, 1999
Bold off.
so, what does everybody think ? will this make Joe Bagadonuts wake up ? I doubt it.
-- Dan G (thepcguru@hotmail.com), December 10, 1999.
ok, its not bold, lemme try ...
shame ya can't see the results till ya post.
-- Dan G (thepcguru@hotmail.com), December 10, 1999.
-- Grrrrr (grrr@grrr.grrr), 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.
Friday December 10, 3:58 pm Eastern Time Company Press Release SOURCE: American Water Works Association AWWA Water Utilities Fully Prepared for Y2K; Contingency Planning for Emergencies Nothing New for Water Suppliers DENVER, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Water Works Association (AWWA) today re-emphasized that its member utilities will provide safe, clean drinking water on January 1, 2000. AWWA's 4,200 utility members provide the nation with 67 percent of its tap water.``Water utilities have long realized that their consumers must have access to safe drinking water, regardless of problems outside the water plant,'' said Jack Hoffbuhr, AWWA Executive Director. ``Unlike Y2K, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes and other natural disasters don't give a water utility notice of their arrival. That's why contingency planning has been a standing AWWA policy for over 25 years.''
``Water utilities have to be prepared for the kind of glitches and power outages that some forecast for Y2K on a daily basis. That's why over 90 percent of our members were fully Y2K compliant five months ago.'' added Hoffbuhr.
The President's Y2K Task Force, Special Congressional Y2K Committees and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have given all water utilities a clean bill of health for Y2K preparedness.
AWWA's policy, first adopted in 1973, issues clear guidelines on how its members should prepare for the possibility of power interruptions. The guidelines direct utilities to take the following steps:
-- Determine the probability of complete or partial loss of power.
-- Assess its ability to provide service despite the power outage.
-- Ensure standby power resources are available.
-- Purchase alternative power from a separate supply source if necessary.
``Possible glitches due to Y2K are no different than those our members have had to overcome for years,'' added Hoffbuhr. ``If those problems should arise on January 1, water utilities will be ready, just like they always are.''
The American Water Works Association and its 56,000 members work to assure a safe, sufficient supply of drinking water for the people of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The group leads efforts to advance the science, technology, consumer awareness, management, conservation, and government policies related to drinking water. For additional information please contact Doug Marsano at (303) 347-6138, or visit our Web site at www.awwa.org.
SOURCE: American Water Works Association
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/991210/co_awwa_wa_1.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
-- LOON (blooney10@aol.com), December 10, 1999.
better?
-- hmmm (hmmm@doh.nat), December 10, 1999.
Sorry bold off
-- BB (peace2u@bellatlantic.net), December 10, 1999.
AWWA says (above): ``Water utilities have to be prepared for the kind of glitches and power outages that some forecast for Y2K on a daily basis. That's why over 90 percent of our members were fully Y2K compliant five months ago.'' added Hoffbuhr.Read the report -- look at the industry's own chart on p. 23 of the report. This is directly from their survey. Do you see over 90% compliance or less than 50%?!?! (hint: less than 50%). Read the survey report on AWWA's website at http://www.awwa.org/y2k07.htm for further proof:
"However, only a very few systems are 100 % Y2K compliant at this time. Figure 2 shows those utilities that are 100 % complete with all steps of their Y2K Preparedness Program, by utility size. When looking at the last steps, testing and contingency planning, only 40- 50% are 100 percent ready at this time. The encouraging finding is those utilities that are not 100 percent compliant at this time are only a few steps behind, and have tested most of their systems."
The fact is that we have no idea whether the industry is ready or not and the public should take adequate precautions.
-- d (d@d.com), December 10, 1999.
bold off??
-- ; (ll@ll.ll), December 10, 1999.
Bold off.
-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), December 10, 1999.