A state of emergency was declared yesterday for the parched town of Perth after a busted main water line left residents high and dry.

Townsfolk awoke yesterday to discover a mere trickle of water flowing from their faucets. The cause -- an underground pipe leading from the town's water filtration pipe had broken in the middle of the night. [continued...] http://www.canoe.ca/OttawaNews/05_n1.html

-- Antoine (metis@2000now.org), January 24, 2000

Answers

This, like many of the other recent postings (about oil and water problems), has no apparent Y2K connection. If you think that there is a connection, we need to hear what that is.

As a reminder, the posting guidelines read:

Volunteers are asked to report any Y2K-related or possibly Y2K- related issues or incidents that are of interest, including human behavior and community impact. Please do not post stories with no likely Y2K connection. If you suspect a Y2K connection but are not sure, please take extra care to give investigation leads for follow- up by GICC analysts.

-- GICC Team (y2kgicc@yahoo.com), January 24, 2000.

Greetings - The first connection is that one of the affected, Anthony Smith, was not as affected by the lack of water because he had a ready supply left over from his "Y2K" preparations.

The lesson here is that, while Year 2000 had no extensive immediate effects, one's preparations were not in vain, as illustrated by the 500,000 still without water in Puerto Rico and in other places.

The second connection is that it is listed as a current Year 2000- related news item at the "Year 2000 Information Center". There are others who thought it relevant.

It is also very possible that computer malfunction(s) could have caused the shortage, and/or the busted water pipe.

-Antoine Neron, Founder 2000now.org

-- Antoine (metis@2000now.org), January 24, 2000.

Here's one story with many links that explains why the Pertjh Water Main Brakage might be important:

Update: Cleveland Water Main Failure Now Repaired (and Links to Previous Threads) greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------

This is an update on the Cleveland Water Main Failure This afternoon's breaking news report of Breaking Water Mains in Florida makes this story even more timely.

For those who want a clearer understanding concerning why these stories are important, I have included a link to the breaking Florida story and all of the links and threads to the Cleveland story below:

Workers join in reopening of E. 9th St.

Thursday, January 20, 2000

By ALISON GRANT PLAIN DEALER REPORTER

With a few snips from a scissors, workers yesterday marked the completion of repairs to a downtown street and a subterranean maze of utility lines, all damaged when a 36-inch water main burst last week. Scores of workers in hard hats gathered with Mayor Michael R. White to reopen the intersection of E. 9th St. and Rockwell Ave. - six days, 23 hours and 10 minutes after a geyser tore a gaping hole in the street during the evening rush hour Jan. 12.

"Im going to ask our employees to walk up and do something thats usually reserved for the mayor," White said just before workers cut yellow police tape in front of the newly repaved street.

The repair job, done by city workers in cooperation with several utility companies, was an around-the-clock ordeal in subfreezing weather. White described it as "one of the largest infrastructure reclamation projects in the citys history."

Besides fixing a 7-foot hole in the water main, workers rebuilt a crushed brick sewer pipe and repaired electrical, steam, gas and fiber-optic lines. Lending a hand were ironworkers, engineers, pipe fitters, bricklayers, carpenters, electricians and, of course, plumbers.

"We wore them out," said Jim Patton, head of service and maintenance for the Department of Public Utilities. Not everyone was happy with the citys performance, however. Robert Schaeffer, operations manager for the company that owns the Superior Building, said he was left to his own devices in getting his basement-flooded building reopened five days after the break.

Schaeffer said he asked the Fire Department for sandbags to block a sidewalk grate where water gushed in, but was told none were available. He also asked the city to run a temporary gas line into the building for heat, but was refused.

"They were kind of concerned with their own problem and everyone else could go scratch," he said. City officials did not respond to a request for comment on Schaeffers complaints. The city has not yet calculated the cost of the water main explosion, nor do officials know why it occurred. But they might soon be in a better position to find out. The American Water Works Association, a national organization of water managers and engineers, is about to undertake a new study of aging urban water systems. Leading the study will be Cleveland Water Commissioner Julius Ciaccia.

Link to Story:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/pdnews/metro/cc20open.ssf

Link to Breaking Florida Story:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002Mvq

There are a number of previous stories and links concerning this major infrastructure failure in Cleveland: 1) Cars to pour down E. 9th Wednesday, officials say

Link:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/pdnews/metro/c17water.ssf

2)Update: Delay in Cleveland Watermain Repairs

Link to Thread:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002LdB

Repair of water main expected to take 5 days

Link:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/pdnews/metro/c14subb.ssf

"Don't blame old lines for flood in Downtown Cleveland, experts say Friday, January 14, 2000

Link:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/pdnews/metro/

Link to later TB2000 Thread on Water Main Failure:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002Jjt

Link to original TB 2000 thread on Cleveland Water Main Breaking:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002IqX

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 20, 2000

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 24, 2000.

And here's some more links that suggest this story might be important:Delhi About 500,000 Without Water in Puerto Rico's Capital

Link:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002NWV

And there's lots more interesting stuff available at this site:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-one-category.tcl? topic=TimeBomb%202000%20%28Y2000%29&category=Utilities

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 24, 2000.

And here's a story I just found that says that the water pipe apparently broke as a result of extreme cold. Looks like it probably was not a y2k failure...:

Ontario: Water supply restored

National Post PERTH - A state of emergency has been lifted in this eastern Ontario town after its water supply was restored yesterday. Perth's water main broke due to extreme cold, cutting off the town's water supply. Lana March, the mayor, lifted the state of emergency yesterday, but said residents are still being warned to boil their drinking water until the system is flushed out. She expects the all-clear for drinking tap water will come today.

Link:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news.asp?s2=national&s3=westtoeast

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 24, 2000.

Now don't get hurt feelings anyone. We're all just looking for the truth.

After following the links about breaking water mains, I see no indication that faulty computer software or computer-controlled valves (or the like) caused the pipes to break.

For example, my opinion (FWIW) is that the "Cleveland Live" header is somewhat misleading. It states (in so many words) that the city's water pipe break may not be attributed to old lines. But the article goes on to say that other causes of that 48" thick pipeline break could be due to (1)corrosive elements in the soil, (2)structural defect dating back to the pipe's manufacture or, (3) more likely, age.

Cleveland's Utilities Committee spokesman admits they may need to improve their "maintenance" program. He doesn't say computer maintenance.

If Cleveland has focused $1 billion in the last 20 years to primarily upgrade its filtration plants, etc (where computers most likely reside) then I trust that the breakage was due to natural causes, shall we say.

I'm more "doomer" than "polly," but trying to stay grounded in the middle.

-- Lee Maloney (leemaloney@hotmail.com), January 26, 2000.

Greetings,

I noticed that there's a category called "Benefits of Y2K Preparedness".

-- Antoine (metis@2000now.org), January 27, 2000.