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County implements maintenance-management software for water and sewer; Belfair pump swap highlighted
Summary
Commissioners authorized purchase of computerized maintenance-management software for water and sewer utilities. Utilities staff reported entering equipment inventories and using the system to schedule preventive maintenance and track pump life cycles after an urgent pump replacement at a Belfair lift station.
Mason County commissioners authorized the purchase of a computerized maintenance‑management system (CMMS) for county water and sewer utilities and heard an update on early use of the software and a recent pump replacement at a Belfair lift station.
Ralph, the utilities maintenance supervisor, told commissioners the new software allowed him to catalog equipment at the Belfair wastewater facility — he reported entering 87 pieces of equipment — and to build tasks and maintenance schedules based on manufacturer recommendations and field experience. “Having that tool...has got things moving,” Ralph said, describing how the software generates work orders and recurring maintenance tasks.
Staff used the system to track a recent unplanned pump failure at Lift Station 1 (referred to in discussion as the Pot Shop/Pump Station). The county had a spare pump on hand; earlier purchase records showed a comparable pump cost about $67,000 three years ago, and staff said the current market price for a new equivalent is closer to $100,000 with a six‑month lead time. Utilities staff said a rebuild of the failed pump would likely have an expected useful life of about five years, whereas new pump procurement has a longer life but substantially higher cost.
The CMMS is already being expanded to other plants: Ralph said after finishing Belfair inventory he had begun entering North Bay and other systems into the database and that the system will help forecast replacement schedules and budget needs. Commissioners praised the crew for planning and coordination that minimized downtime during the Belfair pump replacement and said they appreciated the software’s potential to reduce emergency repairs through preventive maintenance.
(ending) The commission authorized the software purchase and asked utilities staff to continue populating the database and to return periodic reports on preventive-maintenance schedules and lifecycle cost projections.
