Preliminary results of a water loss audit in Tennessee Ridge show significant leaks in the city's system.
The $20,000 project, headed by Rye Engineering, shows early estimates of nearly 12 million gallons lost each year.
Company owner Seth Rye says aging pipes are to blame for the leaks, and that these issues aren't exclusive to Tennessee Ridge. Other cities across the state are searching for similar ways to cut water loss to comply with new laws.
“Even though it's hard on a lot of utilities because their systems are very old and there's a lot of issues, it's making them run more efficiently and operate their systems in a better manner," Rye said.
"So, they can pass those savings along to their rate payers in the form of providing a better service.”
Rye says current state legislation requires a city's amount of lost water to not exceed 30 percent of the total amount sold.
At this point, Tennessee Ridge's audit shows its system at 45 percent.
Rye says his team is still investigating and will update estimates accordingly.
