Galesburg approves purchase of acoustic leak‑detection system to hunt water loss

The Galesburg City Council on June 15 approved a purchase that city staff said is intended to help identify small leaks and reduce non‑revenue water loss across the distribution system.

Staff recommended contracting with Core & Main in partnership with Orbis Intelligent Systems for an acoustic water leak‑detection system at a total cost of about $39,007.03. City staff told the council the city’s current non‑revenue water rate is roughly 40 percent and that the system — small caps installed on hydrants that communicate to monitoring software — can flag anomalies for crews to investigate before leaks grow into major breaks.

A water division presenter described the technology: “They’re caps that you install on the hydrants . . . it communicates back to a software. So it can detect anomalies, which are the leaks, and report those back to us and flag them,” the presenter said. Staff said the system will be installed and operational later this summer and that funding is available in Water Fund 61.

Council asked whether the system could detect leaks on parts of the system that extend beyond city limits; staff said the purchase is designed for local distribution monitoring and that larger transmission or force‑main issues are being addressed through separate testing. The item was approved by roll call (7 yes).

City staff framed the purchase as a targeted, analytical step to reduce water loss and future repair costs. The council’s approval authorizes the contract award and installation; staff will return to council as needed for larger capital projects or further procurements related to the water system.