Two leaks on Hamilton Mountain dumped 860,000 litres of water into ground per day
Hamilton's escarpment can be a sieve for water leaks.
During a recent presentation to councillors about this year's proposed 4.28 per cent water rate increase, it was revealed that over the last year the city had 140 water leaks over 400 kilometres of water mains.
But the eye-catching number in the presentation was that two locations that officials discovered had leaking pipes on the mountain - at 564 Stone Church Rd. and 617 Scenic Dr. - combined to lose 860,000 litres of water per day.
Andrew Grice, director of water and wastewater, said both leaks were eventually detected through new technology and fixed a few days later. Grice said it is unknown how long the water was seeping out of the pipes.
They are both significant," said Grice.
Grice said while leaks are easily found in the city's downtown since any seeping water eventually causes damage to the ground and asphalt, on the mountain it becomes more difficult because the water can leak out through the escarpment rock.
Often a leak may not surface right above it," said Grice. It might come out a kilometre downstream to the edge of the escarpment. Tracking these down has been a real challenge."
In the past the city used older acoustic technology to detect leaks, but the water sounds are sometimes disrupted by the traffic, especially along such a busy road as Stone Church, said Grice.
He said the new technology that bounces an acoustic signal between hydrants can locate a water leak without impact from the speeding vehicles.
The new technology has allowed us to pinpoint these leaks and yes when we find them, they are repaired as quickly as possible because they have a huge impact on us, an impact on our road conditions," said Grice.
The leak at 564 Stone Church Rd. was losing 463,000 litres per day and was discovered and fixed this summer as quickly as possible, while the leak at 617 Scenic Dr. saw 397,000 litres of water lost a day. It was also fixed once it was found.
Hamilton does have older water mains, with about 21 per cent or 440 kilometres of pipes built in the 1950s or earlier, 31 per cent, or 640 kilometres constructed between 1951 and 1980 and 48 per cent, or 1,012 kilometres installed from 1981 to the present.
Grice said Hamilton's water loss is slightly above average" or 15 per cent, compared to other municipalities, but they all experience some water leaks from pipes.
No system is perfect," he said.
In 2020, the city spent $1.75 million on water main breaks, including at 249 York Rd. in Dundas, 329 Mill St. in Dundas, Red Hill Creek, and 952 Queenston Rd. in Stoney Creek.
The city's recently approved 2021 rate budget proposes to spend $154 million in capital projects. In 2020 the city is forecasting to spend $126.7 million on capital construction.