Back during the June meeting of Navasota City Council, a major topic of discussion was the city’s water system, or the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA). It was discovered the system, which essentially controls water usage for the city, was outdated and in desperate need of repair.
At that meeting June 25th, Director of Utilities Jeff Greer said that repairs with the current system were not possible. And if the SCADA system logic computer fails, then trouble begins for the city.
“The logic computer is not repairable or replaceable. So, if that goes out, we’re done,” Greer said.
City manager Brad Stafford also chimed in on the issue at that June 25th meeting, stating that the system was having issues with connectivity to the system due to trees causing a weak connection.
“We’ve discovered that is another issue we have with our current system. The antenna’s are all a little bit too low for the growth of trees in our area. So, we’re having a difficult time communicating with the system,” said Stafford at the meeting.
Because the system is older and installed by another party, the entire system has to be replaced. And back at that June 25th meeting, council heard tabled the issue in order to receive bids to fix the system.
Well, it took some time, but finally at the September 10th city council meeting, things were resolved. City Manager Brad Stafford explained the city stuck a deal with Walker Partners to replace and ultimately upgrade the system.
“They proposed to us the full project at $36,000. They understand the project we are looking at and they understand these projects as they have worked on them many times. But, the staff feels comfortable…I think that we have a good proposal from these guys and feel comfortable presenting this to you all tonight,” Stafford said last Monday.
The new system will allow the city to control the water with a simple remote. And that means they can check anything from water levels, to pumps and tank to leaks and even turn pumps on or off. In short: it makes it easier to control the water system and ultimately, get water to your home. John Winkler, a representative of the deal for Walker Partners, explained it in layman’s terms.
“Basically, I guess you would call it your remote control for your TV. It is a very high end remote control that allows the operators to change it just like you would change your TV,” said Winkler.
City Council unanimously approved the bid for the new SCADA system. A set date for beginning of construction on the system has not yet been set. Walker Partners has also said they will even help with finding funding for the project.