South Whitehall commissioners have approved the purchase of new computerized equipment for the township water system at a cost of $273,156.

The Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition technology will be purchased from Will Business Applications Inc.

At a recent meeting, Jerry Charvala, South Whitehall utilities group leader, explained the new technology will control the entire water system.

SCADA will monitor chlorine residuals, control pumps, check tank levels and provide pressure readings, Charvalla said.

He noted the present system with circuit boards is antiquated.

Commissioners initially expressed concern the technology might be outdated from the start of installation to its completion over a three-year period.

Charvala said SCADA may be repaired, replaced and upgraded at any time with programmable logic controllers.

He said the timeline is reasonable due to the involvement of multiple vendors, computer programming, software installation and general workload of township staff.

Another major water project is replacement of 20 valves underneath streets in Westwood Heights.

Public Works Manager Jeff Clapper said the valves being replaced are probably at least 50 years old.

The valves, used to shut off water flow if necessary, can break or become inoperable.

He noted portions of the streets will be dug up to access the valves, and some dirty water may flow through the pipes during the work.

Commissioners granted permission to proceed with bids. The township has $200,000 budgeted for water main upgrades.

Clapper commented on requirements for the firm that will perform the job.

“This type of project is a specialty,” Clapper said. “A lot of this work is done live.

“The company needs special equipment and must have a good track record.

“Restoring the street is the obligation of the bidder.”

Upon completion, the valve replacement will give control over the system during leaks and will enable the township to improve water quality, Charvala said.