The Jefferson city council is acting proactively to assure there will not be an emergency disruption in water service. The council at its Feb. 10 meeting approved the purchase of computer upgrades at the water treatment plant at a cost of $88,870 from Automatic Systems Company of Ames.
Water superintendent Tom Schilling explained to the council that the water plant, which is 17 years old, is fully automated. City wells, the water plant and the water tower are all controlled by computers. Schilling said that technology “ran out.” “Things don’t communicate with each other, and when something breaks, they don’t make parts for it anymore,” he said. The current system is no longer reliable, requiring staff to “babysit” the plant to make sure all components turn on and off correctly.
“If we don’t do anything right away, (the plant) could go down and it’d be like going to the emergency ward. It’s going to cost double or triple to have these guys come fix it, instead of paying the cost now,” Schilling said.
The city received two bids on the project, the second coming from ICS of Minnesota at $107,000. City engineer John Milligan recommended the lower bid. The cost will be taken from the city’s water replacement fund.
Milligan said it would take 12 to 16 weeks to get the new equipment installed. In the meantime, Automatic Systems has guaranteed fast response in “band-aiding” the current system should something fail.
Council member Gary Von Ahsen asked if the water will taste better after the new system is installed. Answer from Schilling: “No t necessarily.”
