Fernie’s leak detection program has unearthed a large number of leaky pipes in the community.
Back in 2023, the city had a very high per-capita flow rate of potable water.
It was an estimated 1,550 litres per person per day (lpd) well above the provincial average of 494 lpd.
Project engineer Joanna Line says a large percentage of the use is from leaks in their system.
“The flow rate per person is so high due to leakage in our system,” she said.
“An estimated 53 per cent of potable water pulled from our two sources don’t make it to the tap.”
She says there isn’t a large leak that attributing to the loss but rather a number of small leaks throughout the community on public and private land.
“Leaks that come to the surface are repaired as they’re identified,” she added.
“It’s the leaks that don’t come to the surface and silently drain away underground that are responsible for this high rate of loss.”
By reducing the leaks the city will be able to defer water infrastructure upgrades related to quantity.
Higher-priority leaks will be identified and completed as budget and operational capacity allow.
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