Every year, about a third of the groundwater being pumped and distributed by the Village of Oxford goes missing, according to the water reliability study conducted by Nowak and Fraus Engineers.
The study revealed that anywhere from 28-32 percent of the water (or approximately 60 million gallons) meant for village homes, schools and businesses is being lost on an annual basis.
This is a ‘substantial amount of water loss,? according to the study, which is why it was ‘recommended that the village undertake a water loss investigation to identify appropriate corrective actions.? ‘It’s something that should be tightened up,? said Chad Findley, senior associate at Nowak and Fraus. ‘You’re always going to have some (water loss) and typically, you like to see that number more around 10 percent.?
‘Fortunately, for the village, they’re not buying their water from a wholesaler like (Detroit Water and Sewerage Dept.),? he added.
When a water supplier like the village is losing gallons, there’s a usual list of suspected causes. ‘One place is water leaks,? Findley explained. ‘If you’ve got a leaky pipe, especially somewhere in Oxford where you have sandy, gravelly soils, you could be losing water that way.?
Other potential causes are water meters that aren’t reading accurately and water system connections that are either unauthorized or improperly made.
‘For instance, someone could have a sprinkler system tied in on the wrong side of the meter (meaning) they’re drawing water from the system, but it’s not getting through the meter,? Findley said.