Grand Coulee/Electric City to update computer for arsenic treatment plant

Even cities have to deal with electronics becoming obsolete. 

The cities of Grand Coulee and Electric City need to buy a new computer for their arsenic treatment plant, which treats the water that comes from Electric City wells and is used by both cities. 

Both city councils discussed the issue at their respective council meetings held earlier this month.

The computer is not your average at-home computer. It may cost in the vicinity of $20,000, unless a cheaper option is found. 

Electric City Mayor Diane Kohout threw some numbers out to the Electric City Council on July 14, saying that costs would include the computer itself, which may cost about $2,500, the software another $5,000, installation another $7,500, and more.

City Clerk Peggy Nevsimal said the computer controls the functioning of the plant, including monitoring water levels, turning equipment on and off, deciding when to release chlorine, monitoring water quality, “the whole shebang.”

Councilmember Cate Slater said it was smart to be proactive rather than reactive in buying a new computer, as the current one is running on Windows 7, is outdated, and unable to run the appropriate programs efficiently anymore. 

Microsoft’s mainstream support for Windows 7 ended in 2015; extended coverage ended in January this year.

Councilmember Brian Buche brought up Grand Coulee’s shared responsibility in the arsenic treatment plant before the council approved a budget amendment allowing for the purchase of the computer.

The next week, on July 21, the Grand Coulee council discussed the matter. 

Their consumption rate with the water system sits somewhere around 71%, which makes them responsible for 71% of the costs associated with it, including the arsenic treatment. 

Councilmember Tom Poplawski mentioned that such matters would be easier to deal with if the two cities were consolidated into one town. He said he wished the situation had been brought up much sooner.

The Grand Coulee council wants to look into the situation further to see if they can find a cheaper option. 

Nevsimal said Electric City is looking at other options, as well.

“While the computer definitely needs to be replaced, we are looking into a less expensive solution than to start all over with new software licenses and a whole new configuring of the proprietary software,” she said. “We may be eligible for a ‘virtual’ solution through our software providers and [Public Works Director Jared Armstrong] is working out the details with our engineering consultants.”