The Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) water filling station on Trails Boulevard is currently experiencing operational issues due to repeated failures of the keypad system used to dispense water.
PAWSD IT, GIS, Asset and Meter Manager Kyle Tjelmeland explained in an interview that the district replaced the keypad at the fill station two to three weeks ago.
The previous keypad had been at the fill station for five or six years but was experiencing issues with the keys being sticky and numbers being difficult to enter, he stated.
These keypads are usually highly durable and are also in use at PAWSD’s other two fill stations, Tjelmeland stated, where they are functioning well.
However, three days after the new keypad was installed, the screen connected to it where customers can see the information they are entering went dark. Tjelmeland explained that the keypad still worked, but that customers could not see what they were entering and thus could not easily get water unless they already knew the exact sequence of button presses to make.
Upon detecting this problem, he stated that PAWSD ordered a replacement for the replacement keypad from their vendor, Flowpoint Environmental Systems in Canada.
However, once this keypad arrived late last week, it also experienced the same issue over the weekend, Tjelmeland explained.
PAWSD is now working on ordering another replacement, which is being tested by the supplier for functionality prior to being shipped, he stated.
He added that the vendor recently has been experiencing similar issues with keypad systems delivered to other water utilities, which appear to be due to a manufacturing defect.
Tjelemland commented that PAWSD hopes that the replacement keypad will arrive at the end of the week and can be replaced then.
PAWSD District Manager Andrew Connor explained that the keypad system is sufficiently expensive that PAWSD cannot afford to purchase additional keypads to keep in inventory as backups, especially since the devices are usually reliable and rarely replaced.
He added that the district is also not able to secure the correct system more easily from another, nearer vendor than Canada-based Flowpoint.
“There’s not much we can do,” he said.
Until the new replacement is installed, he explained that the fill station is still operating, but the screen is not readable and staff have posted instructions at the station to help customers navigate the system and obtain water without being able to see the screen.
He stated that customers are successfully obtaining water from the station by following these directions, although “it takes a bit more careful paying attention to the keystrokes.”
Connor added that PAWSD’s other fill stations on Mill Creek Road and at the PAWSD administrative offices at 100 Lyn Ave. are also open and operating.
The list of PAWSD fill stations and their exact locations is available on the PAWSD website at www.pawsd.org/customer-care/fill-stations--hauling-water/.
“We’re frustrated with this, too,” Tjelmeland said. “We’re trying our very best to make this work.”
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