By Ruth Ann Hendrickson
Lincoln’s unaccounted-for water measurement showed a huge reduction this year, and the discovery of two large leaks by alert citizens probably played a large part in that reduction.
Both citizens noticed the sound of running water in storm drains during the drought last summer, identifying leaks that Water Department personnel quickly repaired. We urge everyone to watch for the appearance or the sound of water in unexpected places and report it immediately to the Water Department at 781-259-2669.
The Water Department has been working hard for over 12 years to reduce our unaccounted-for water, increasing water leak detection surveys to twice a year compared to the industry standard of once every two years. Leak detection is difficult. The contractor drives around Lincoln during the wee hours of the morning, using sensitive acoustical equipment to hear the sound of water running through the pipes. We uncover many leaks this way every year, but we also miss many. Some years ago there was a 60+ gallon-per-minute leak on Beaver Pond Road that was never detected until the water started to bubble to the surface in someone’s yard. The leak detection equipment failed to hear it.
Lincoln draws all our public water from the Charles River watershed; that watershed is always stressed by upstream people like us who use water before it can get to the river. Consequently, the Mass. DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) gives Lincoln a permit to withdraw 0.53 mgd (million gallons per day). As part of the permit, we are required to demonstrate a unaccounted-for water use of less than 10%. For over a decade our measured UAW has been in the vicinity of 25%, but this year it dropped to 5% — a number yet to be certified by the DEP, but certainly a huge improvement.
So be on the lookout for possible leaks and report them right away!
Ruth Ann Hendrickson is a former longtime member of the Lincoln Water Commission.
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I wonder if you could measure the water pressure at several locations and figure it out that way?
Thank you for this information…very helpful in understanding the issues that have an impact on this critical asset…and also let us know one of the things we can do to help protect it.