Lyon County discusses Y2K Emergency Plan

YERINGTON - Lyon County officials are taking no chances on a possible attack of the much publicized Y2K bug.

"We will be waiting to see what happens, but we are pretty confident things are fairly well taken care of," Public Works Director Dan O'Brien said.

O'Brien will give a presentation Thursday to county commissioners on the precautions and plans taken to reduce possible effects on residents and county functions. The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. in the Courthouse Annex in Yerington.

The "millennium bug," or Y2K, is associated with potential problems affecting everything electronic with an embedded microchip and the ability of computers to discern the difference between the year 1900 and 2000. Affected appliances and systems vulnerable to failure include personal computers; water and wastewater treatment systems; power companies; transportation control systems; fuel distribution systems; bank ATMs; etc.

O'Brien said all county-owned power generators are in operating condition and ready to go.

"These could be used to provide power for our wells and lift stations," O'Brien explained. "We will also be able to provide power for emergency shelters, such as the schools, if they are needed."

A Lyon County Year 2000 Contingency Plan has been prepared to serve as a guideline for county departments and employees in the event of any utility and automated system failures.

All hardware and software systems within the county have been inventoried and assessed as to their year 2000 status.

The county's utility billing system was not Y2K compliant, O'Brien said. About three-quarters of the corrective process is now completed, however, and bills should go out on time, he said.

"We don't expect any problems, but with New Years Eve arriving on a Friday night we at least have the weekend to take care of any workplace glitches. We also have the three hour advantage on the West Coast of seeing what happens in the east at midnight," O'Brien said.

What: Lyon County Commission

When: 9 a.m., Thursday

Where: Courthouse Annex, 31 South Main Street, Yerington