City still seeks the water leak

Finding the water leak in town is a little like playing “Where’s Waldo?”

You know it’s there somewhere, but it takes some effort to locate it. While reviewing the City of Minneota’s water costs for the past quarter, Administrator Shirley Teigland noticed a discrepancy between the amount of water being purchased from Lincoln-Pipestone Rural Water and the gallons of water being read by individual meters and billed out to customers for quarterly water usage.

Because the higher water usage isn’t being read by customers meters, it would indicate that a leak is occurring somewhere before the meters.

“At this point, the leak is not showing above ground,” Teigland said. “Water will always find the least resistant path and depending on the soil and the frost in the ground, a leak can often stay underground, making it that much more difficult to find.”

Teigland pointed out that leaks are not a common occurrence in the city’s system. “Yet a crack or break can occur at any time as pipes age,” she noted.

“Any indication of potential problems is taken seriously, and careful attention is given to investigating and finding an answer.”

Jeff Dale of Minnesota Rural Water Association based in Elbow Lake was called in to help with locating the leak using a “listening” device.

Although a leak was not found that day, the equipment has been loaned out to the City of Minneota to further assist staff in their efforts in locating the problem.

Trent Bruce of DGR Engineering is also working with the City to provide additional assistance and resources. Teigland estimated that the water leak could possibly cost three to four thousand dollars a quarter until the issue is resolved.

“As soon as the leak is found, it can be fixed,” she said. “And the cost of the repairs will depend on where the leak is located and what infrastructure will need to be repaired.”