NEWBURGH – In the last three years, the Newburgh City Water Department has repaired over 300 leaks to its 100-year-old water system reducing demand on the water treatment system from 6.3 million gallons per day in 2016 to 2.8 million this year.
An in-depth investigation of leaks began three years ago when a leak detection contractor that was hired spent two weeks surveying the water distribution network and found 230 potential leaks.
The leaks ranged from fire hydrants, to broken water mains, and leaking water service lines.
In addition to saving those millions of gallons of water, repairing the leaks reduces the amount of wastewater that the city treats at its sewer plant.
During the month of September, sewer plant operators reported a historic low wastewater treatment rate of some 4.8 million gallons per day, a direct result of fixing leaks.
Those reductions in flows benefit the city by lowering operational expenses through reductions in emergency demands, sludge disposal costs and chemical costs. The environmental benefits include a reduction in the frequency and duration of combined sewer overflow events to the Hudson River and Quassaick Creek.
