After leaky pipes, old infrastructure for amazing water loss in Birmingham Water Works responsible

Almost half of the water produced by Birmingham Water Works Board is not taken into account in its system at a speed that is much higher than the national average.

Lecks of broken and outdated water pipes are responsible for a large part of the water loss, the employees said during their first working session with the new regional Water Works board.

The state's largest supply company has a non -classified water rate or the water of 48.5 percent, which are either lost or not taken into account, said Patrick Flannelly, a senior vice president of Arcadis North America, a long -time advisor to waterworks.

“It's just massive,” he said. “The reality is that there is no quick solution.”

Flannelly said that 500 miles have to be replaced to reduce the water rate without taking the water. Such a project would cost 750 million US dollars, said Flannelly.

Flannelly estimated that the actual loss of water could be closer to 40 percent after well -known activities such as the supply company have extended the system.

The reduction of the loss sentence to around 20 percent would save the utility of 4.3 million US dollars a year. However, Flannelly said that savings were not enough to pay the project.

The waterworks are already planning to issue 130 million US dollars for pipe replacement in the next five years.

Several factors could blame missing water, including leaky pipes, leaky warehouse tanks and the use of water, but not properly invoiced.

Several board members asked for details on the replacement of Rohr and the question of whether the utility should accelerate the process.

General Manager Mac Underwood said that pipe replacement problems all over the money and budget priorities of the board.

In the meantime, high -ranking employees are asked to examine ideas in order to reduce the loss water within their divisions.

“There is a task force,” said Flannelly. “This task force meets you from several perspectives.”

While parts of the Leck system are plagued, Flannelly said that water loss had not affected the operation.

“The leaks are put under pressure,” said. “You don't endanger the integrity of our system.”

Water loss in supply is a long -term challenge.

In 2011, the waterworks recorded an increase in the loss of 12.6 percent of its water, which could not be taken into account at the end of 2009 to the end of 2010.

The system implemented a program in 2007 that reduced its losses from 28 percent to 17 percent within seven months.

The working session on Monday evening included presentations from every manager. The seven board members went with three-ring binders, handouts and brochures.

“We do not expect you to get all of this in an environment,” Underwood told board members. “It isn't all either.”

The regional board was founded in the last legislative period with a law that has set up a seven -member board in which Birmingham has two seats, with the rest reserved in the surrounding communities in Jefferson, Shelby, Blount and St. Clair.

The new configuration that ends Birmingham's dominance and put them in a minority among decision -makers is challenged by the Mayor Randall Woodfin and the city council in court.