City: Daily savings from pipe leak fix 359,000 gallons day

Sean C. Morgan

Data collected by the city Public Works Department continues to confirm that repair of a massive water leak on the north end of 9th Avenue has solved a large percentage of the water lost in Sweet Home’s water system.

During the past month, the city’s daily water production has declined by 359,000 gallons per day, said Utilities Manager Steven Haney.

On April 16, Public Works shut down a pipe that had been leaking directly into a stream crossing 9th Avenue north of Nandina Street. After shutting down the pipe, Public Works measured a reduction in the stream flow of roughly 343,000 gallons per day.

In the 30 days prior to the repair, to keep up with demand, the city produced 1.149 million gallons per day. In the 30 days after the repair, it has had to produce just 790,000 gallons per day.

That’s a 31.2-percent, just shy of one-third, decline in water production to meet the demand of Sweet Home water users. Haney said the decline in production adds up to 131 million over a year.

Initial data showed a similarly substantial reduction in production, but on a daily basis, production levels can vary substantially as the levels held in the city’s reservoirs vary.

The city has been dealing with an average water loss of about 41 to 42 percent of water produced, Haney said. That’s water produced at the Water Treatment Plant that never registers at a meter.

That water may be lost through leaks, Public Works Director Greg Springman has explained, or it may not be counted at aging meters, which tend to underestimate water flows as they wear out.

The city is beginning to replace some of those older meters.

“We cut our water loss in half, if not more,” Haney said. “I just don’t have the data yet.”

Haney thinks the city’s water loss statistic will fall to 10 to 15 percent, he said, noting that 10 percent is considered good.

To further confirm the data, Haney is expecting a report on water loss based on a two-month billing cycle and comparing it to previous years, and he’ll be looking at total annual data next spring.

“I would say (the savings in water is) higher,” Haney said, noting that seasonal changes in water usage, such as watering lawns and gardens, has begun.

If the city is able to find a 25-percent reduction in water production, Haney said, that translates to a 25-percent reduction in chemicals, energy and other variable expenses.

That’s something that doesn’t translate to savings at this point, he said, because the city is under contract for the management and operation of its treatment plants.

The city has decided to end the contract with its current operator, Jacobs Engineering, and it is seeking proposals from other providers.

Haney said the request for proposals includes a provision that the city would pay for the chemicals and energy costs, allowing the city itself to realize the savings.

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