TOWN STAFF REPORT RECCOMENDATIONS
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Consider approving purchase of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System for a price not to exceed $319,000.00; and take appropriate action (Kyle Flanagan, Deputy Director of Public Works)
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STAFF: Kyle Flanagan, Deputy Director Public Works
BACKGROUND:
The Town of Westlake utilizes Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for the control, monitoring, and alarming services in the Water Distribution, Wastewater Collection, and the control of School Zone Lighting systems. These are essential services that are the responsibility of the Town and include required data points necessary for quality control and reporting to TCEQ, as well as the billing processes to our customers and our wholesale water and sewer providers. The SCADA system ensures that pumps turn on when intended and valves are open to allow water to pass through. The system ensures School Zone Lights activate when intended and notifies Town personnel when systems are not working correctly. The current legacy SCADA software platform is 20 years old and has not been supported by the manufacturer for many years, making the system vulnerable to failure and cyber-attacks. The current system offers little to no reporting capabilities to the Town's operators and is limited in the number of alarms can be set and who can receive them.
The current system communicates through a radio control system that requires line of sight communication; this setup has required the Town to put radio SCADA sites at Westlake Academy, Fidelity Investments, and the Vaquero Maintenance Building. Public Works is seeking to reduce the number of sites it maintains and requires access to as the current communication configuration to lift stations and other facilities must run through Fidelity Investments, Vaquero Maintenance Building, and the Westlake Academy. Gaining access to these facilities during emergencies and after hours creates obstacles for Public ...
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