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NEWS
City discovers costly water leak
HUNTINGTON -- The city of Huntington will save thousands of dollars in utility costs at Harris Riverfront Park this year, due in large part to the discovery of a broken waterline that continuously pumped water underground for several years.
The one-inch waterline line, which once ran to a drinking water fountain on the west end of the park, was discovered in February 2009 when Mayor Kim Wolfe's administration came into office, City Council members learned during a budget session Saturday morning.
The water fountain somehow was damaged several years ago and taken out of service, but the waterline that ran underground to the fountain was never capped or shut off, Floodwall Superintendent Steve Riggs said.
The discovery was made a year ago when the Finance Department, under the direction of new Director Deron Runyon, conducted an analysis of utility costs for all city departments. That was when Budget Manager Darla Bentley said she noticed the meter for one bathroom at the park and the uncapped waterline line had reported readings in excess of 715,000 gallons of water per month.
"When we went to check the meter, it was spinning as fast as an airplane propellor," Riggs said. "The line was pumping water full-blast around the clock into the river."
A closer look at the city's utility bills revealed that costs for water service at Harris Riverfront Park had gradually increased from $7,382 in 2000 to nearly $86,000 in 2008, Bentley said. The biggest one-year spike occurred when costs nearly doubled from $43,016 in 2007 to $85,842 in 2008.
"The water company never notified us," Bentley said. "We had to discover that on our own."
Since the waterline line was shut off, water usage at Harris Riverfront Park has averaged about 1,000 gallons per month, according to information provided by Bentley. Utility costs for the Floodwall Division, which water service at the park falls under, are projected to decrease by more than $100,000 this year to $59,000.
After months of discussions with West Virginia-American Water Company about the exorbitant bills, Bentley said the city received a credit in the amount of $5,294.
The water company wouldn't agree to a larger reimbursement, because the increase in water usage was gradual, Runyon said.
"They only provide a credit if there's a dramatic change from month to month," he said. "There wasn't any huge spike from one month to the next."
Bentley said it's hard to tell how much money the city lost because of the uncapped waterline line, but estimated that it ran continuously for at least five years.
"I think I'd be sick to my stomach if I saw how much money we literally flushed into the river," Councilman Nate Randolph said.
