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<br />Pueblo's Commitment to Future Water Use Efficiency Measures: (Continued) <br /> <br />of main breaks. Where the old cast-iron mains were in good structural condition <br />but the Board was still getting rusty water complaints, a program of cleaning and <br />lining the old mains with a cement mortar mixture was initiated. The cleaning and <br />lining process was used on 4,6,8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24 and 36 inch mains. The results <br />have been tremendous for the Board. The cleaning and lining work has been <br />ongoing since 1983. <br /> <br />The Board has a very sophisticated meter testing and maintenance program. <br />All compound meters are tested yearly for accuracy. At the present, all 3/4" and I" <br />plastic meters made by a well known meter company are being replaced because <br />their accuracy was not within the percent of accuracy which the Board allows. (114 <br />gal.lminute - 90% to 101.5% accurate, 2 gal.lminute - 98.5% to 101.5% accurate, 15 <br />gal.lminute - 98.5% to 101.5 % accurate.) The 5/8 x 3/4" meters are being replaced <br />with a Hersey 5/8 x 3/4 meter, and the I" are being replaced by Sensus Technologies <br />I" meter. Both meters are a new manufactured brand of meter to our system. The <br />Board is also rotating all meters 25 years or older out of its water system. These <br />meters are being replaced due to their age, lack of performance, and their <br />inaccuracy. The Board has found that our aggressive meter maintenance program <br />has paid for itself several times over by locating and replacing dead meters. <br /> <br />A new computerized meter reading system provides criteria for looking at a <br />customer's metered water usage. The new system pin-points unusually high meter <br />reads and automatically generates a work order that initiates a field check. In <br />many of the field checks the high read has been associated with a major water leak. <br />The leak is found and repaired, thus immediately eliminating the loss of water. <br /> <br />The Board's present leak detection program was initiated in the mid 1980's. The <br />Board originally hired a contractor to check for leaks in its water system. 20,000 <br />feet of various types and sizes of water main throughout Pueblo were inspected to <br />determine the condition of Pueblo's water system. In the 20,000 feet of mains <br />inspected, only two leaks were detected. One produced only minor water loss while <br />the other was more serious. The program also proved that the older mains were <br />less likely to leak than the newer, recently installed water mains. In response to <br />these facts, the Board decided to establish a full-time leak detection program. A <br />major part of the program is the inspection of newly installed water mains for <br />leaks. This occurs one year after a new main has been in service. The program <br />finds an average of ten to twenty leaks per year which would have gone undetected <br />if it had not been for the conscientious efforts of the leak detection program. At <br />least 40 suspected leaks per year are also found through the leak detection program. <br /> <br />These leaks are usually called in by the water customer and when checked out by <br />the leak detection employee are found to be true water leaks. The program is <br />designed to detect the leaks not easily visible in the system and has been very <br />successful in the reduction of the Board's "unaccounted for" water. <br /> <br />-20- <br />