Water Districts Assess Y2K Worries Most Confident They’Re Doing What They Can, But They Don’T Control Electricity

The calls are dribbling in, and North Idaho’s water system supervisors are bracing for a torrent of questions.

People fearful that the millennium computer bug will leave them thirsty and unbathed want to know: “Are you ready for Y2K?”

For the most part, they are. Managers of the Panhandle’s larger water districts say they’re doing all they can - which in some cases isn’t much - to prepare for glitches caused by outdated computers that won’t be able to correctly read the date “2000.”

The one thing managers can’t control is the flow of electricity needed to operate pumps. So they’re pleased by assurances that regional power systems are unlikely to crash.

“If the power companies go down, we go down with them,” said Bob Roe of the North Kootenai Water District.

Some have backup generators that will keep their operations partially afloat. Others have gravity-fed systems that can get by without power for a few days.

Water users are fortunate if their system’s equipment is quite new or is so old or simple that no microprocessors are involved.

Emergency services officials and Y2K activists are urging people to check with their utilities to ensure that everything possible is being done to avoid problems next winter.

Some people are considering extreme measures.

“One woman called to find out where things were with us, and ask would she be allowed to build a well,” said Jim Markley, manager of Coeur d’Alene’s water system. “For the cost of drilling a well, you could buy an awful lot of barrels and put an awful lot of water in them.”

Ben Hepler, vice chairman of the Idaho Water Utilities Council, noted that utilities are better prepared for disasters than many nonregulated businesses.

Hepler is assistant manager of the Boise area’s United Water, the state’s biggest water company. For those demanding a guarantee of uninterrupted service come the year 2000, he says: “Quite frankly, we don’t guarantee uninterrupted services now.”

Coeur d’Alene: The city’s water system does not rely on a computer to operate, Markley said. To prepare for a power blackout, the city has a backup diesel generator for its largest pump. Between that generator and a 5-million-gallon reservoir, he said, “We’ll be OK.”

Besides, water use - normally low in winter - would be even lower if electricity goes out.

“People would not have hot water heaters, they wouldn’t be bathing much or running dishwashers,” Markley noted.

Post Falls: “We’re as prepared as we can be,” said lead water worker Matt Isch.

The city’s two above-ground reservoirs hold 2 million gallons of water, and in an average winter week residents use about 1.7 million. Of course, pumps are needed to refill the tanks, so a long-term power outage would be a problem.

The city has backup diesel power for its Highlands and Majestic wells. Those run independently of the city’s main system, which pumps water from wells but then dispenses it via gravity from the tanks.

Kellogg, Smelterville, Osburn: No computers are involved in pumping operations of the Central Shoshone Water District, said manager Mac Pooler. “I’m from the old school: Keep it simple.”

The system is switching from surface water to ground water supply. The new well near Enaville will be on-line in the next few weeks. The district will rent a backup generator to operate the pump at Enaville, and Pooler hopes eventually to buy one.

Because the Kellogg area is fed power from several directions on the power grid, Pooler is confident that the electricity will keep flowing. It hasn’t failed in his 32 years with the water district.

Pinehurst: Like all the big districts, the small Pinehurst Water District is having to upgrade its computerized billing. But there are no computer chips involved in the operation of its water system, said manager Shirley Gann. “As long as we have electricity, everything will work.”

East Shoshone Water District: The water treatment plant that serves Wallace-area residents is only two years old, and the manufacturer is reviewing it to make sure it complies with Y2K guidelines, said manager George Dancer.

Even without power, he said, part of the gravity-fed system, which uses mountain stream water, will work.

Sandpoint: Sandpoint upgraded its water treatment plant just a year and a half ago, said public works superintendent Cody Van Dyk. His department has ordered a $5,000 “Y2K fix” to upgrade the plant’s computer, and expects to test that next month.

Sandpoint’s winter water supply comes entirely from Sand Creek, so gravity delivers water to residents. “But once the filters get dirty, they need to be backwashed, and that takes pumps,” Van Dyk said.

That means the system would work for several days without electricity, he said.

Bonners Ferry: The city’s water supply comes from Myrtle Creek. Like Sandpoint, it works via gravity but requires filtering with electric pumps several times a week during winter’s low flows, said city manager Mike Woodward.

The city distributes electricity, too, and is counting on the assurances of its supplier, the Bonneville Power Administration, to keep the water pumps pumping.

This sidebar appeared with the story: PREPARING FOR Y2K Y2K is shorthand for year 2000. It’s a reference to the problems created by many older software programs and computer chips that recognize years by the last two digits. That could render many machines incapable of telling the difference between 2000 and 1900, prompting them to shut down or miscalculate. Because computers are integral to the operation of utilities, health care, transportation and other vital services, review and upgrade of those systems is necessary to prevent inconvenience and potential catastrophe at the end of this year.