Grant will help the Lebanon city's city to recognize and reduce water leaks

Thanks to a scholarship from the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), the City of Lebanon Authority (Cola) will add more leakage detection devices to the water distribution system in Lebanon City this summer.

In addition to the equipment, SRBC also received a subsidy for improvements in the Siegrist Reservoir. In the scholarships announced on Monday, May 12th on Monday, May 12th, both grants are part of the SRBC subsidy program, which is financed by fees that are connected to water -consuming industries, power plants and commercial units that use water without returning it to rivers or currents.

Grant receiver must provide 20 percent of the total costs of the proposed project.

Cola called for $ 516,000 for the purchase of additional leakage recognition devices. Cola currently has 155 underground sensors and about a dozen mobile sensors. Changes in the noises generated by these sensors indicate possible leaks so that cola can identify and repair problems before the leaks cause dolines or street collapse.

Example of a water valve box with a sensor below. (Lebtown file photo from Margaret Hopkins)

Read more: High-tech listening: Innovative approach of the water authority for leak detection

The match contribution from Cola is USD 103,237, as the authority's application for grants to SRBC is.

As part of his water assignment permit granted by DEP in 2024, Cola must develop a plan to reduce a loss of water to a level of 20 percent or less within five years. In 2024, Cola's inexplicable water loss was 22 percent of his daily withdrawals or 1,529,153 gallons a day.

While some of these non -considered water losses are due to leaks or breaks, water that is used for hydrant flushing, street rider and fire fighting is not measured and not taken into account as such. Typically, this goes into the groundwater due to LECK's released water instead of returning to the surface waters that flow into the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.

In 2019 and before the purchase of leak recognition devices, the water loss of cola was 30 percent or 2,815,940 gallons a day in 2019, said Tom Deitzler, deputy director of Cola, in an e -mail.

“The leak recognition equipment undoubtedly played a major role in reducing this number, but the reduction also included a concerted effort in order to better estimate lost water by rinsing hydrants or fire vessels,” said Deitzler.

Cola plans to address Lebanon City with the equipment because the city has the most oldest water networks in the sales system. Many of these networks are cast iron that is susceptible to cracking and breaking with age. Colas 300 miles networks are a third or 100 miles of cast iron.

SRBC also awarded the authority to 113,333 US dollars for the installation of a new pipe, a new measuring device and a new valve so that additional water from the Siegrist Dam can flow into Mill- and SWatara streams. According to the application, the total project costs are estimated at $ 136,000.

Siegrist Dam, one of the surface water sources of the city of Lebanon authority. (City of Lebanon authority)

This project also refers to the new water assignment of Cola, which increased the requirements for the conservation release by Siegrist Dam to ensure a reasonable flow for the lifespan of water life and the downstream users of Mill and Swatara Creeks. The installation of a new tube is required to meet these requirements.

In addition to the pipe, a new measuring device for measuring the river and a new valve to the control flow is added to the existing minimum exemption system in the Siegrist reservoir.

In other companies, the Board of Directors approved the improvement project for the wastewater treatment plant. That were:

Payment #14, $ 1,370,850.96, PACT Two LLC, general contract conclusion;
Payment No. 7, 24,840 US dollars, garden spot mechanically, sanitary;
Payment No. 8, 68,051.68 USD, garden spot Mechanical, HVAC;
Payment No. 10, $ 169.025, garden spot Electrical, Electric.

The board held an executive meeting after the meeting.

The board of the city of Lebanon Authority meets on the second Monday of each month at 3 p.m. in the Ridgeview Road in Lebanon. The next session will take place on Monday, June 9th. These sessions are accessible to the public and do not need to need registration.

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