Westmoreland to Add Water Alert System

The Westmoreland County Municipal Authority will install a new alert system so when an issue arises with drinking water, the authority can promptly pour out notification calls. New requirements mandate that all water providers maintain a public notification system to be used in the event of water contamination. The system to be installed in Westmoreland County will be capable of making 3000 phone calls per hour and will be able to reach customers via home phone, cell phone, and/or text message. Authority Operations Manager of Production John Ashton says the system will cost about $100,000 and since the requirement is what he called and "unfunded mandate," it must be paid for out of the rate base. Though, the notification system is not required to be operational until December 2009, it should be running by April.