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Leak detection, AMI pilot and hydrant repairs highlighted as operational priorities
Summary
Commissioner Eierly outlined progress on leak detection phases that reduced estimated daily losses, showed an AMI meter pilot with multi-year implementation options, and flagged hydrant repairs and SLA shortcomings the department plans to address.
Commissioner Greg Eierly told the City Utilities Committee the department’s multi-phase leak-detection program has materially reduced estimated water losses in earlier phases and that phase 4 is underway.
“In phase 1, we were losing about a 161,000 gallons per day. We've reduced that by 60 or 75%,” Eierly said. He reported phase 2 had an estimated 369,000 gallons per day loss that was reduced by two-thirds, phase 3 had about 71,000 gallons per day with 72% recovered, and phase 4 has about 260,000 gallons per day of active leaks under repair.
Eierly described an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) pilot and compared older automatic meter-reading (AMR) devices with the newer AMI meters. He said AMI provides more precise, near-real-time usage data and text alerts that can help detect leaks quickly. If the city implements AMI in-house, he estimated it could take five to seven years; private-equity or third-party deployment could shorten the timeline but would require contract decisions and trade-offs on ownership and per-meter charges.
The department is also implementing CityWorks to improve work-order data and metrics; Eierly said CityWorks should provide better, more real-time operating data than the legacy Hansen system.
On hydrants and operational service levels, the commissioner said catch-basin cleaning counts fell 68% in the quarter and hydrant repairs have increased. He acknowledged prior reporting inconsistencies and said the department is adjusting coding practices to improve accuracy. Council members raised concerns about hydrant reliability for firefighters and the longstanding shortfall in hydrant repair SLAs; Eierly said staffing vacancies limit hydrant-team capacity and that the department will fill crews and use contractors seasonally as needed.
Committee members asked for updates on specific plant improvements, the South River clarifier work and a schedule for meter deployment options; staff committed to follow-up details, including timelines and cost estimates.
