The System is called SCADA, which means Supervisory, Control and Data Acquisition. Water Agency General Manager Jim Abercrombie explained to the Board of Directors, and public in attendance, that SCADA is used to monitor water quality, tank levels, water flows to fill tanks, pumps stations and to control the treatment plants as well. Abercrombie also explained that the system will allow for the upgrade and expansion the agency’s capabilities to serve its customers water needs. The goal for the Water agency with the SCADA system is to coordinate the operation of all agency facilities in order to enable the Amador Water Agency to treat and distribute water efficiently to all customers. Abercrombie stated that “The SCADA system (has been proven to) improve reliability for customers, as well as improving regulatory data gathering necessary  for mandated reported to the Department of Health Services.” Another benefit of the system is that it allows agency staff to control and monitor operations from porthole locations. For example employees can use a laptop computer to dial in from home on a prescheduled basis to ensure the facilities and operations are appropriate. This benefit from the system’s technology upgrades increases employee productivity and saves man hours according to Abercrombie. This system is especially important to water users in the Upcountry areas that are part of the Central Amador Water Project. Many of this system’s components are separated by distance. This requires a staff member to drive from tank to tank to check for operational efficiency or to troubleshoot and look for problems with the system. Typically, agency staff has been forced to rely on customer identification of problems in this system. The SCADA system would put all of the tanks, and therefore the issues and problems that could occur, within the realm of a single computer screen. The system was originally approved and in 1993 and installed in 1995. Since that time multiple upgrades have been made, however this new move toward a greater technology will be by far the most expensive and advanced upgrades to date. Overall, the systems would be applied to the Agency Network & Wide Area Network (WAN) including the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant and Central Amador Water Project Tank Sites & Pump Stations, the Tanner Water Treatment Plant and Ridge & Trentway Pump Stations, the Ione Water Treatment Plant and Prison Tank and all Camanche Wells, Tanks and the area’s Lift Stations. At the meeting the water agency Board of Directors expressed their pleasure with the progress that staff has made toward implementing this technology. Also, a list of other facilities and future facilities that the agency would like to add to the SCADA system was discussed. Facilities and assets such as the new Transmission Pipeline Project were specifically discussed. The SCADA system could help to control water flows in the pipeline. The replacement or expansion of the Tanner Reservoir and the Ione water treatment plants could also benefit from usage of the system wide technology. Abercrombie stated that “Almost any new asset we have including the Plymouth pipeline will be integrated into this system.” The cost of the upgrades for the fiscal years 2005 and 2006 is approximately 1.2 million dollars.