The Mount Vernon City Council has approved an expenditure of $274,669 to digitize its wastewater treatment and water plants by implementing a laboratory information management system. The decision was made during the council's meeting on March 24.
"This will be very crucial with the wastewater plant. We'll have the ability to take all the information they gather and trend it," said Public Utilities Director Aaron Reinhart, according to a YouTube meeting recording. He explained that this system would allow for analysis of data trends in response to weather changes and facilitate problem-solving by referencing historical data.
According to the draft minutes packet for the meeting, Gray Matter Systems of Warrendale, Pennsylvania, was awarded the professional services contract for the installation. Reinhart said that previously, lab tests were documented on paper, which hindered analysis. He noted that installing this system is the final phase of a three-year capital improvement plan aimed at upgrading operational technology and laboratories. The new system will store and organize test results, enhancing reporting and analytics capabilities. Reinhart added that automating lab reporting would reduce errors such as transposed numbers.
Reinhart also mentioned in the meeting video that the system would assist in complying with Ohio Environmental Protection Agency monitoring requirements through improved reporting and records retention. He highlighted that accessing data from paper records stored in cardboard boxes was challenging, particularly for information on sludge. By tracking lab reagents' shelf life within the system, their disposal upon expiration can be managed efficiently, allowing for timely reorders.
In addition, Reinhart indicated that pH meters and ammonia meters could be integrated into this system to enable real-time analysis.
"I would imagine the person who's been doing this by hand's thrilled about this," said Council member Tammy Woods, according to the meeting video.
