During winter storm Uri back in February, loss of electrical power became an issue at the Brown County Water Improvement District water treatment plant in Brownwood.  That, in turn, affected water distribution by water providers in Brown and neighboring counties.

In session Monday morning, October 18, Brown County Commissioners approved using American Rescue Plan funds to enable the Brown County Water Improvement District to pay for an automatic transfer of electrical power switch at the water treatment plant. The cost is $174,718.

“We originally approached the Commissioners for generators which was like a $2.3 million cost.  Looking at it and looking at the annual maintenance and upkeep on those generators, it made more sense for us to go with an automatic transfer switch,” said John Allen, General Manager of the Brown County Water Improvement District.

He explained that the water treatment plant is on two separate power grids.

“Being on two separate grids helps us tremendously, especially with new Senate Bill 3 which requires all kinds of things coming up this November, water plants being able to prove that they can provide water after 24 hours with no electricity.  With that being said, this automatic transfer switch would automatically transfer, if one grid goes down, to the other which should cover us under this new Senate Bill 3,” Allen said.

Allen said he appreciates Commissioner’s Court for their approval of using American Rescue Plan funds to pay for the automatic switch.

“I’d like to thank the Commissioners, the County Judge, Shane Britton County Attorney for stepping up and helping us with this.  They’ve done a wonderful job.  We were going to have to do it, one way or another.  This way it’s coming out of that American Rescue Plan Act, it’s not costing the taxpayers anything and that’s roughly $175,000 that we’re not going to have to go up on our water rates,” Allen said.

Allen expects ONCOR will have the automatic switch installed by Thanksgiving.