Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren’t just days for consumers to save. Water systems can find big savings as well in the form of great deals on technology. With many Black Friday ads already “leaked” on the Internet, there is time to find a good deal and get approval for it if necessary.

 

But what exactly should you buy? Notebook? Netbook? Desktop?

 

In this article, we’ll offer some suggestions on the technology that’s best for you, and Sukhwindar P. Singh from RCAP Solutions will recommend a few web sites to put that new technology to good use.
 

Deals, Deals and More Deals!

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving, so called because shoppers looking for deep discounts will often put retailers in the black for the year. Cyber Monday is the following Monday, when deep discounts and an impending shipping deadline (so packages arrive before Christmas) sends shoppers online for great deals.

Many of those deals come in the form of tech gadgets, and systems that don’t require specific bids can find products they need at better prices. The discounts mean systems can get better computers, a little more software or more accessories than what they might be able to afford the rest of the year.

One retailer, for example, has announced a $198 price on a new netbook that normally costs $100 more. Another is offering deep discounts off its notebook computers for both consumers and businesses. Water and wastewater systems that need an upgrade to their office equipment can find some great deals.

With all the deals out there, the big question may not be how much will you pay, rather which product should you get?
 

Giga-whatsis, mega-huh?

Billing, GPS mapping of the system, budgeting – many such tasks require a good computer. 

Computers aren’t cheap, but the prices for basic models have dropped over the years. The introduction of netbooks, or mini notebook computers, has led to more competition for notebooks and desktop systems. A decent desktop system would cost over $1,000 just a few years ago. Today, the same system can be found for about $700-$800.

Most water and wastewater systems won’t need a top-of-the-line computer. But the cheapest model may not be best either. There are a few things to keep in mind when computer shopping. Let’s start with the operating system.

It’s very tempting to buy the older models with the older software, just to save a few bucks. But that decision can cost a lot more later. Computers still running Windows Vista or Windows XP definitely will be cheaper, and they may be fine for a little while. The problem is, Microsoft will stop supporting both soon in favor of its latest operating system, Windows 7. That means developers will stop making programs that run on the older systems. 

You may pay a lot less for an XP-based system today, but you run the risk of having to shell out big bucks later to upgrade just so you can run your software. Usually, the price difference between an XP and a Windows 7 system is only about half the cost of buying the software later. That doesn’t even count the hours you or your tech guy will spend upgrading the computers, which can be a nightmare.

On the other hand, you don’t have to have the fastest processor or the maximum memory if all you are going to do is work with databases, spreadsheets or word processors. The fastest computers usually are made for things like gaming or video or photo editing. So in this case, 2-4ghz (gigahertz) processors are fine. Dual-core processors (basically two in one) are best. Given Windows’ demands on memory, 4GB (gigabyte) is a good start. Memory prices fluctuate and memory is relatively easy to install, so you can always upgrade later. The bigger the hard drive, the better, so look for at least 250GB, since most software today takes a bunch of space.

If you plan to use a lot of video or photos, for security or to keep records of what equipment is where, double all of those suggestions. Photo editors need a lot of memory, space and power.

Netbooks are smaller laptops, usually with screens smaller than 12 inches and lighter in processor power. The advantage is their size makes them more portable.  The disadvantage is their processors tend to be less powerful, so the netbooks tend to be slower. But they’ll work well in conjunction with desktop computers and would be good for work in the field. 

Look for at least 1.6ghz-2ghz on processor speed for the netbook, and 1GB of memory, though 2GB would be better. As with the desktops, 250GB should be a minimum for the hard drive.

So, just to recap, when looking for desktop or notebook computers, look for these minimum tech specs:

 

• Windows 7 operating system
• 2.4ghz dual-core processor
• 4GB memory
• 250GB hard drive

For netbooks, you’ll do better with these minimum tech specs:

 

• 1.6ghz-2ghz processor
• 1GB memory (2GB strongly recommended)
• 250GB hard drive

 

Computers with these minimum specs will keep your system going for quite a while.
 

Help from the EPA

Once you have your new computers, you’ll be able to explore several online tools available through the EPA for water and wastewater systems. Sukhwindar P. Singh, Director of Education and Training at RCAP Solutions, presents us with a few suggestions.
 

The RCAP (Rural Community Assistance Partnership) and its regional partners receive EPA funding to assist small communities and systems with drinking water and wastewater compliance and capacity development issues.  The mission of US EPA or the US Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment-air, water and land-upon which life depends.  The US EPA is also responsible for researching and setting national standards for a variety of environmental programs.  The US EPA works to develop and enforce regulations that implement environmental laws enacted by congress.  You and your RCAP Technical Assistance Provider (TAP) are encouraged to learn more about EPA administration priorities and to visit the newly designed website at www.epa.gov to locate drinking water and other resources of importance to your community or system.  Please be aware that the most direct oversight of environmental systems is conducted by state drinking water and wastewater programs.  States can apply to US EPA for “primacy,” the authority to implement the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and Clean Water Act (CWA) within their jurisdictions if they will adopt standards at least as or more stringent then US EPA’s.  For specific state requirements and regulations, applications, permits, and forms - you should refer to your state primacy agency.   US EPA makes available a numbers of tools and resources that may be helpful to your community education initiative.

- Sukhwindar P. Singh

 

EPA website: www.epa.gov

Operator certification

http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/drinkingwater/pws/dwoperatorcert/index.cfm

Small Systems Information and Guidance

http://water.epa.gov/type/drink/pws/smallsystems/index.cfm

CUPSS

http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/drinkingwater/pws/cupss/software.cfm

Drinking Water -Ground and Drinking Water

http://water.epa.gov/drink/

http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/techtools/index.cfm - lists 5 tools and resources for technical assistance

Wastewater- Office of Wastewater Management 

http://water.epa.gov/aboutow/owm/index.cfm

TWIST- The Wastewater Information System Tool-TWIST

http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/wastewater/The-Wastewater-Information-System-Tool-Twist.cfm

Online Training in Watershed Management

http://cfpub.epa.gov/watertrain/index.cfm

Energy Efficiency

http://www.energystar.gov

Tribal

http://www.epa.gov/tribal

Environmental Justice

http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/basics/index.html

http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/index.html - lists tools and resources for compliance actions

State specific regulatory information

http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/states/index.html

Teachers and Kids

www.epa.gov/kids