Gary Dingle, town water superintendent,
told The Emmitsburg Dispatch that he would soon
be ordering the necessary equipment to tie in several
town wells with wireless communications for the first
time. The initial round of wells will probably be connected
by mid-September, with anticipated ongoing cost-savings
to the town.
Line problems suggested wireless
solution
Part of managing the water supply system
is to get different wells, or sequences of wells, to pump
in the desired ordered, or to get several to pump in unison,
which requires establishing some form of communication
with the wells to allow the operator (or a computer) to
“talk” to them.
Dingle said traditionally the water system
has relied on phone line signals sent to the various tanks
and wells. Most of the time the Verizon phone system works,
but there can be problems.
“When telephone lines don’t
work, you have to come in and control the system by hand,”
Dingle said, noting, “It happens a few times a year
and it’s a real pain when it does.”
Initially, wells #3, #4 and #9 will be
linked wirelessly to the treatment plant. Wells #3 and
#4 went into service in the late-1960s; while #9 is just
being brought into service thanks to recent Maryland Department
of the Environment (MDE) approval.
Wireless system looks more cost
effective
Bringing well #9 into service so that
it would work together with the other two wells prompted
the decision to try wireless communication.
“Well #9 is 2,000 feet from the main treatment plant
where wells #3 and #4 are located,” Dingle noted.
“Running the wire and boosters (for telephone service)
would probably cost me over $1,500,” Dingle said.
In addition there would be ongoing service costs, which
are essentially an open-ended cost, because the town pays
for the service on a continuum.
The cost to get the wireless system up
and running would also be about $1,500, but as Dingle
said, “If we can put this wireless in, we will have
an upfront cost but not an ongoing (telephone company
service) cost.” Any related expenses would be primarily
maintenance.
“Going wireless is a experiment
and the cheapest way to go right now,” he stated.
Superintendent sees expansion
possibilities
Thurmont presently has six active wells.
If the initial, three-well wireless network performs as
anticipated, the town may move to an all-wireless delivery
system.
“If wireless works good, we will
be thinking of putting other systems on wireless on next
year‘s budget,” Dingle said in an interview.
He thinks wireless, “will work a lot better. I just
hope it works as good as they say.”
Future tie-ins to the wireless network
could include the water tank at the end of Carroll Street
serving well #8; the water tank in Eyler Park serving
well #7, both presently operated using telephone lines;
and well #2, which is a backup well drilled in the early
1900s.
