SOMEBODY FLIPPING ONE FUCKING SWITCH WOULD HAVE KEPT AUSTIN IN WATER

[Betty Blackwell 144]

[utee94 15805]

2 hours ago, crash_davis said:

I need to start working for the city. Bloated pay with no accountability. 

Edited March 3, 2021 by utee94

[atomheartbevo 89626]

9 hours ago, crash_davis said:

They had no one on staff or available via cell phone to call and ask, "hey bob, how do I turn on this switch?" Maybe the last asshole who knew how to turn on the fucking generator retired years ago? Surely someone at the plant still keeps in touch with him. Was a phone call made?

Look man, it was just a guy who wanted to keep working, keep a little change in his pocket rather than going to school and listening to some dipshit who doesn't know what he's talking about.

[demos 3002]

The more I think about this, the more pissed I get.
How the fuck did the city pass audits? Is ISO certification required of critical utilities? Surely someone or some entity audited the plants disaster recovery protocols???? It's a fucking utility. Contingency and back up plans are vital. Also, when was the last time they tested the back up generators? Surely this century? They had no one on staff or available via cell phone to call and ask, "hey bob, how do I turn on this switch?" Maybe the last asshole who knew how to turn on the fucking generator retired years ago? Surely someone at the plant still keeps in touch with him. Was a phone call made?
The fucking incompetence of this city government knows no bounds. 
FUCK everyone. I'm so sick and tired of idiots running the city. And then the idiot citizens vote in fitlump which assures that idiocy will continue to reign.
FUCK everyone of these assholes!

Situation normal: all fucked up.

[Cajun 11705]

But, but, but I thought Austin was such a great place to be?

BradInATX said so!

[BradInATX 9208]

4 hours ago, Cajun said:

But, but, but I thought Austin was such a great place to be?

BradInATX said so!

 

Educated people, music, art, culture, and a collection of people that aren't all exact like one another isn't for everyone.

[Cajun 11705]

Fish on!

Reel in your lines boys...

[Samson's Wig 3191]

5 hours ago, BradInATX said:

 

Educated people, music, art, culture, and a collection of people that aren't all exact like one another isn't for everyone.

I love Austin, but the one major knock against it for me is it's the most homogeneous town I've ever lived in.  While things have been improving in some ways, the constant tech industry growth isn't exactly helping.  We may be seeing more different looking faces these days, but they're all spewing the same empty-souled bullshit.  Anyone who may be cut from a different cloth is being forced out, and rapidly.

Now back to the gathering of pitchforks, feathers, and tar.  Let's not lose site of the real focus of our derision here - the city manager and his cronies.   

[BradInATX 9208]

2 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

I love Austin, but the one major knock against it for me is it's the most homogeneous town I've ever lived in. 

Come see me in New Braunfels and then tell me if you still think that.

(I generally agree with your principle if we're talking about race, though - Austin is white af)

[Samson's Wig 3191]

Just now, BradInATX said:

Come see me in New Braunfels and then tell me if you still think that.

(I generally agree with your principle if we're talking about race, though - Austin is white af)

It's eerie how white Austin is.  

My wife has been sending me links to houses for sale in New Braunfels in her not so subtle way, so it's probably only a matter of time before the move.  Your comment doesn't make me feel great about it. 

[crash_davis 23100]

So...how many dipshit assholes have been fired over this????????

[Guest Lobo]

You must not be getting around much of Austin.  When the 2020 census is revealed in a few week, it will show that Austin is only about 50-55% White.  It's not a United Colors of Benetton Ad here, but most people who think Austin is "Too White" don't bother to notice that a huge chunk of this city is Hispanic/Latino/Bi-Racial (like me) and may identify as either White or Hispanic/Latino, or both.  But, the truly white/caucasian population here is only a hint more than half.  Sure, there's an alarmingly low Black population here for a city of our size.  And you'd think Asian-Americans would make up more of the population, but they're still just hovering around 8%.  But move around Austin, get to every corner and it's very obvious what the data bear out-----Austin is about 50% total White, and 50% everything else.  

Maybe because of work or civic volunteering, but in the before-times...I never understood how people could claim Austin was so white...everywhere I went had people of color (again, most whiteys don't know when they're in the presence of a Hispanic/Latino/mixed-race unless they're at Home Depot or ordering at Matt's El Rancho).  With most cities of this economic affluence, the divide is more education/economic than racial.  

All that said, the city is still quite segregated and our City Council sucks the sweat off a dead man's balls.  So yeah, plenty of work to do.

[Michael Knight 12976]

On 3/3/2021 at 9:56 AM, crash_davis said:

The more I think about this, the more pissed I get.

How the fuck did the city pass audits? Is ISO certification required of critical utilities? Surely someone or some entity audited the plants disaster recovery protocols???? It's a fucking utility. Contingency and back up plans are vital. Also, when was the last time they tested the back up generators? Surely this century? They had no one on staff or available via cell phone to call and ask, "hey bob, how do I turn on this switch?" Maybe the last asshole who knew how to turn on the fucking generator retired years ago? Surely someone at the plant still keeps in touch with him. Was a phone call made?

The fucking incompetence of this city government knows no bounds. 

FUCK everyone. I'm so sick and tired of idiots running the city. And then the idiot citizens vote in fitlump which assures that idiocy will continue to reign.

FUCK everyone of these assholes!

its almost as if government in texas is designed to not work, lol at regulating businesses 

[BradInATX 9208]

15 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

It's eerie how white Austin is.  

My wife has been sending me links to houses for sale in New Braunfels in her not so subtle way, so it's probably only a matter of time before the move.  Your comment doesn't make me feel great about it. 

I think it's going to be our biggest challenge, trying to find some like minded friends locally. We haven't even really been out in the world due to Covid, but I can tell it's going to be tougher than in Austin. I can go throw horseshoes and drink Bud Light as well as anyone, but we're hoping to find some more worldly types too. It's definitely something to think about coming from somewhere like Austin.

Everything else out here is pretty incredible though. YMMV depending on what part of the area you end up in.

Edited March 9, 2021 by BradInATX

[demos 3002]

So...how many dipshit assholes have been fired over this????????

[InkaUtexas 25859]

2 hours ago, BradInATX said:

I think it's going to be our biggest challenge, trying to find some like minded friends locally. We haven't even really been out in the world due to Covid, but I can tell it's going to be tougher than in Austin. I can go throw horseshoes and drink Bud Light as well as anyone, but we're hoping to find some more worldly types too. It's definitely something to think about coming from somewhere like Austin.

Everything else out here is pretty incredible though. YMMV depending on what part of the area you end up in.

Yo, I still owe you a six pack. 

[BradInATX 9208]

Yo, I still owe you a six pack. 

That's right. I'll hit you up when things get a little settled here with the new baby

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

3 hours ago, Lobo said:

You must not be getting around much of Austin.  When the 2020 census is revealed in a few week, it will show that Austin is only about 50-55% White.  It's not a United Colors of Benetton Ad here, but most people who think Austin is "Too White" don't bother to notice that a huge chunk of this city is Hispanic/Latino/Bi-Racial (like me) and may identify as either White or Hispanic/Latino, or both.  But, the truly white/caucasian population here is only a hint more than half.  Sure, there's an alarmingly low Black population here for a city of our size.  And you'd think Asian-Americans would make up more of the population, but they're still just hovering around 8%.  But move around Austin, get to every corner and it's very obvious what the data bear out-----Austin is about 50% total White, and 50% everything else.  

Maybe because of work or civic volunteering, but in the before-times...I never understood how people could claim Austin was so white...everywhere I went had people of color (again, most whiteys don't know when they're in the presence of a Hispanic/Latino/mixed-race unless they're at Home Depot or ordering at Matt's El Rancho).  With most cities of this economic affluence, the divide is more education/economic than racial.  

All that said, the city is still quite segregated and our City Council sucks the sweat off a dead man's balls.  So yeah, plenty of work to do.

I agree with this, on my street, in a nice neighborhood in SW Austin (houses around $400k to $500k), I’m a minority.  There are 4 Hispanic families, one black family, one Asian family and one Indian family, one family with a middle eastern guy married to a white lady from the Midwest, and 3 white families.  I think it’s pretty similar in the rest of 78748.  

[InkaUtexas 25859]

9 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

19 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Yo, I still owe you a six pack. 

That's right. I'll hit you up when things get a little settled here with the new baby

Shit, that is the time to escape! 

[F250 28764]

7 hours ago, Lobo said:

You must not be getting around much of Austin.  When the 2020 census is revealed in a few week, it will show that Austin is only about 50-55% White.  It's not a United Colors of Benetton Ad here, but most people who think Austin is "Too White" don't bother to notice that a huge chunk of this city is Hispanic/Latino/Bi-Racial (like me) and may identify as either White or Hispanic/Latino, or both.  But, the truly white/caucasian population here is only a hint more than half.  Sure, there's an alarmingly low Black population here for a city of our size.  And you'd think Asian-Americans would make up more of the population, but they're still just hovering around 8%.  But move around Austin, get to every corner and it's very obvious what the data bear out-----Austin is about 50% total White, and 50% everything else.  

Maybe because of work or civic volunteering, but in the before-times...I never understood how people could claim Austin was so white...everywhere I went had people of color (again, most whiteys don't know when they're in the presence of a Hispanic/Latino/mixed-race unless they're at Home Depot or ordering at Matt's El Rancho).  With most cities of this economic affluence, the divide is more education/economic than racial.  

All that said, the city is still quite segregated and our City Council sucks the sweat off a dead man's balls.  So yeah, plenty of work to do.

People think Austin is white as fuck because compared to every other major city in Texas, Austin is white as fuck.

 

[atomheartbevo 89626]

22 hours ago, crash_davis said:

So...how many dipshit assholes have been fired over this????????

Maybe the people who all knew where or what the switch was had retired and died off from old age?

[Samson's Wig 3191]

 

17 hours ago, F250 said:

People think Austin is white as fuck because compared to every other major city in Texas, Austin is white as fuck.

 

This. 

When it comes to economic/educational diversity, things get even more homogeneous in Austin by the minute.  

[BradInATX 9208]

The only trait Austinites have diversity in is who or what they like to fuck and what model iPhone they have.

[drt 638]

I saw this article linked today so I gave it a read and it reminded me of this thread The importance of improving water infrastructure and security

Coupled with the other thread on ransomware, I thought there were a few interesting quotes:

Quote

While these threats can come from many different sources including a simple loss of power for an extended time period due to weather events, cyberattacks are one of the harder ones to mitigate...

Quote

According to the EPA, water utilities experience an attempted cyberattack on process control at least once per year, and 10% of incidents may bring significant consequences...

Quote

Maricopa county supplies water to almost 5 million people and has 30 monitoring stations called pump stations,” he explains. “They’re constantly monitoring the quality of water, and it’s very sophisticated — they know when anything changes in the water. If the water is out of compliance, if there is a toxin or anything not supposed to be there, they can isolate it between pump stations. That’s how they protect the public. But this one statistic really opened my eyes — they said 25 to 30 people dying in the first attack is considered acceptable losses. Then they said between 1,500 to 5,000 people getting sick is also acceptable. That’s why it’s a very interesting issue.

There's also an earlier section that details with aging infrastructure, the stimulus bill, etc.  With the strain our water infrastructure has in Central Texas due to the population boom, I'm guessing we have more issues sooner rather than later.  Zebra mussels infused water sure is going to be nice on the patio later this summer though.

[Brisketexan 105061]

Water and sewer infrastructure is the bedrock of our society and economy.  Yes, you heard me right, no exaggeration.  Ask yourself this question -- which "public servants" are responsible for more lives saved than any other?  It's not cops or fireman or soldiers.  It's the people who make sure that millions upon millions every year don't die of waterborne illnesses, being exposed to raw sewage, etc.  3.4 million people die of waterborne illnesses around the world (almost all in places with no such infrastructure), making it the LEADING cause of disease death in the world: https://www.voanews.com/archive/who-waterborne-disease-worlds-leading-killer#:~:text=The World Health Organization says,and death around the world.

We take our water and sewer systems for granted.  We neglect them, underfund them, and don't even think about them....until they fail us.  We focus a shitload of attention on more exciting issues, with flashing lights and shit....but water and sewer and basic sanitation are the core functions of any collective endeavor (e.g., a local government).  More of us should pay attention to that.

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Water and sewer infrastructure is the bedrock of our society and economy.  Yes, you heard me right, no exaggeration.  Ask yourself this question -- which "public servants" are responsible for more lives saved than any other?  It's not cops or fireman or soldiers.  It's the people who make sure that millions upon millions every year don't die of waterborne illnesses, being exposed to raw sewage, etc.  3.4 million people die of waterborne illnesses around the world (almost all in places with no such infrastructure), making it the LEADING cause of disease death in the world: https://www.voanews.com/archive/who-waterborne-disease-worlds-leading-killer#:~:text=The World Health Organization says,and death around the world.

We take our water and sewer systems for granted.  We neglect them, underfund them, and don't even think about them....until they fail us.  We focus a shitload of attention on more exciting issues, with flashing lights and shit....but water and sewer and basic sanitation are the core functions of any collective endeavor (e.g., a local government).  More of us should pay attention to that.

Thank you, and you're welcome.

Edited June 2, 2021 by Scheiss Meister

[drt 638]

The energy use of water utilities being 30-40% of a community's total consumption was kinda mind blowing as well.  Seems like there's a good bit we just take for granted.

[Brisketexan 105061]

1 hour ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Thank you, and you're welcome.

Thank you for your service.  Kinda dead serious.  The folks who quietly bust their asses to maintain the necessities, with zero acknowledgment or thanks, are the backbone of our society and economy.

That goes for electric lineman, and similar types.  We take for granted that the lights come on, the toilets flush, and the water turns on.  Without those, we know for a fact that life, business, and everything else grinds to a screeching halt.   But nobody even notices those things until they fail.  And when people wonder why, they should look at budgets and priorities.  You can only patch critical infrastructure for so long.  And deferred maintenance becomes super-expensive maintenance.

[atomheartbevo 89626]

4 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Water and sewer infrastructure is the bedrock of our society and economy.  Yes, you heard me right, no exaggeration. 

It really sucked and was dangerous for those without power.  It sucked when everybody had to use toilet snow to flush their toilets.

But if the sewer system had broken down and people had resorted to shitting in their yards, people would have had pitchforks and torches ready down at city hall and the capitol.

[Guest Lobo]

Were we not supposed to be shitting in the snow?   I just assumed everybody was doing it.  

[phdhorn 6224]

5 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Water and sewer infrastructure is the bedrock of our society and economy. 

Reminds me of the greatest song of the 1960's:

 

And do you know who sang this for real?  Shit you not:


Back to our regularly-scheduled topic.

Edited June 2, 2021 by phdhorn

[Deej 76754]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

Were we not supposed to be shitting in the snow?   I just assumed everybody was doing it.  

If it was good enough for my dogs, it was good enough for me. I did try to wait until the middle of the night and go in the neighbor's yard, though. 

[atomheartbevo 89626]

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-water-prepares-treatment-plants-should-another-extreme-winter-storm-occur/

Quote

In addition to completing repairs due to damage done by the February winter storm, Austin Water is preparing its three water treatment plants for winter weather. 

The water utility says it followed recommendations from a recent report released by Austin-Travis County officials outlining what could be improved should another extreme winter event occur.

Quote

Austin Water also says a new electrical substation at Ullrich Water Treatment Plant is under construction to “improve power resiliency,” and power distribution upgrades are nearly done at Davis Water Treatment Plant.

Quote

Operators have modified their winter maintenance schedule, so the plants are able to increase water production quickly if there’s a sudden uptick in customer demand, due to dripping faucets or leaks caused by burst pipes, both of which happened during the February winter storm.

 

[Deej 76754]

"HI, I'm Emily Chancellor with Austin Water Communications."

What a waste of fucking taxpayer dollars.

[atomheartbevo 89626]

31 minutes ago, Deej said:

"HI, I'm Emily Chancellor with Austin Water Communications."

What a waste of fucking taxpayer dollars.

Somebody has to tell you how to use snow to flush your toilet.

[Deej 76754]

Just now, atomheartbevo said:

Somebody has to tell you how to use snow to flush your toilet.

If it hadn't been cold enough to keep the snow from melting for 7 days, we'd have been fucked.

[DalTxHornFan 3097]

2 minutes ago, Deej said:

If it hadn't been cold enough to keep the snow from melting for 7 days, we'd have been fucked.

We filled our bathtubs for flushing water.  Then the line to the septic tank froze up to thwart our best-laid plans.  I enjoy a solid outside shit in the cold and snow.  The wife -- not so much.  Good times.

[atomheartbevo 89626]

1 minute ago, Deej said:

If it hadn't been cold enough to keep the snow from melting for 7 days, we'd have been fucked.

That's the real irony here.  More sun and a bit higher temperatures and we are shitting in our neighbors yards for 6 or 7 days straight instead of the occasional Saturday night after a UT loss.

I happen to know where a little-used dog poop station is near our house, I would have been there within minutes grabbing all of the bags.  My wife and daughter are too polite to shit next door, even if the neighbors were out of town.

And holy shit if polite people were shitting in their garbage cans, I can only imagine what garbage pickup would have been like the following week or two.

Being without electricity really fucking sucks, but, and I'm sure we talked about it in this thread, the water was the breaking point.  Not being able to flush your toilets would turn things into Mad Max.  I would have been hauling 5 gallon bucks from Shoal Creek.

[Deej 76754]

4 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

I happen to know where a little-used dog poop station is near our house

They are all little-used. 

[Anastasis 23458]

It's not just for the hunting lease anymore.

[Updawg 2266]

No racism. But we are 3rd world India pretty quick.

[futureman 22444]

7 hours ago, Updawg said:

No racism. But we are 3rd world India pretty quick.

not at all, really. interesting take, though. 

[Steel Shank 9421]

17 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-water-prepares-treatment-plants-should-another-extreme-winter-storm-occur/

 

Both of these chicks are smack dab in the middle of my wheel-fucking-HOUSE!!!

[atomheartbevo 89626]

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-water-identifies-primary-cause-for-water-outages-in-the-city/

Quote

Austin City Council approved a construction contract to replace more than 2,000 water service lines around Austin during its meeting Thursday. The service lines are located in more than 60 subdivisions and will improve reliability and resiliency for customers, it said.

Water service lines are smaller pipelines that connect from the water main, typically located in the street, to customers’ private plumbing lines.

Quote

In the late 1960s it was custom to use polybutylene and polyethylene, referred to as poly, for installing new water service lines. Over time, these plastic resin materials have turned brittle and become prone to breakage, especially in areas where water pressure is higher. This has resulted in water outages for customers that require emergency repairs. 

Quote

Since the 60s, Austin Water estimates about 25,000 poly water service lines were installed, and it has to date replaced more than 3,000 of these lines with stronger materials. A KXAN investigation in July of this year found Austin Water Utility pipes leaked more water in 2020 than in any of the previous 12 years — more than 7.34 billion gallons. At the time, Austin Water said those losses were within an acceptable range.

[Updawg 2266]

But you better not run your sprinkler on the wrong day

[atomheartbevo 89626]

[atomheartbevo 89626]

https://www.austintexas.gov/alerts

Quote

A citywide boil water notice has been issued.

A citywide boil water notice has been issued due to an internal process issue at the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant.

Customers should boil tap water vigorously for at least two minutes prior to using it for drinking or cooking.

And from a statement

Quote

“It appears this will be over in a couple of days,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler said in the release.

Quote

Austin Water says it is increasing water production at two other water treatment plants, Davis and Handcox, and managing the water pipelines to keep water service coming to customers. There have been no power disruptions at drinking water plants, as of the last time of this report.

Austin Water is expected to hold a press conference Saturday night. KXAN will stream it live in this story.

 

[bschoolprof 6252]

Austin water seems about as well managed as the rest of the city. Total clown show.   

[DaggerHorns 3082]

Again….not to worry, our local leadership will figure it out.

[4th&Five 41506]

Guess I’ll stick to beer.