The city recently awarded a $360,000 contract to overhaul and commission five water utility locations to Bainbridge Island Electric, which has experience with many public agencies, including Mercer Island last year. A similar bid and contract for the sewer control systems will be awarded later this year, anticipated in fall 2021.

These upgrades will help the city’s Public Works Department amplify its renewed focus on service delivery, and allow better stewardship of the city’s infrastructure to provide a reliable experience for all residents long into the future.

Water distribution and sewage collection on Mercer Island are monitored and controlled remotely by two separate technology systems, collectively referred to as SCADA. Due to the significant age and deteriorating condition of both systems, the technology has become obsolete, leading to unreliability and the inability to meet the city’s ongoing utility needs.

Starting in 2017, staff began evaluating upgrades, and ultimately hired Brown and Caldwell, an engineering firm specializing in planning for sewer and water utilities, to help reduce risk, improve redundancies, and design a new fully-integrated, secure control system.