This is a map of the Sugarmill Woods water service area that identifies the location of each leak, as well as an estimate for its associated water loss. [map]

Citrus County's Leak Detection Program

Citrus County Department of Water Resources regularly conducts water audits of its systems to quantify volumes of real and apparent water losses, assess the financial impact of those losses versus the cost of corrective measures, and makes recommendations to further improve CCU water system's efficiency.

In August 2011, the CCU team set out to inspect over 4,800 water meter boxes, all production wells and main water line valves in the Sugarmill Woods Water system. Working in conjunction with SWFWMD and the Florida Rural Water Association, the group was armed with electronic listening devises, steel probes and state-of-the-art equipment to locate hidden leaks in the water system. Together they found and CCU repaired over 125 leaks estimated to account for twenty-seven million gallons of water, and reducing the Sugarmill Woods system's unaccounted for water loss from twelve percent to six percent.

Citrus County Utilities is a planning water system inspection in Citrus Springs/Pine Ridge during the summer of 2012. The utility's goal is to continue this effort throughout its systems, completing a minimum of ten percent each year.

Citrus County's Leak Detection Program identified water line leaks estimated to have lost more than twenty-seven million gallons of water in the Sugarmill Woods service area. Through two field surveys, the first jointly conducted by representatives of the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Citrus County Water Resources Utilities Division, and the second solely by the utility, an impressive one hundred and twenty-seven leaks were repaired by county utility field crews.

The vast majority of leaks were initially identified as concerns during the acoustical listening phase of the survey. These possible leaks were then further evaluated using visual and/or audio clues. For example, evidence of water in a service meter box indicated a service-line leak. In some instances, the use of a ground-microphone attachment coupled with an electronic listening probe or a digital leak correlator was used to accurately pinpoint the underground leak. Most leaks were associated with service connections, which are the small lines that go directly to meters. The few more substantial leaks that accounted for high volumes of water being lost were repaired at the time of discovery. Smaller leaks were prioritized and repaired accordingly.

Leak detection is an ongoing endeavor. New leaks develop continually throughout any system, even more so for older distribution systems. Based on years of collected data, the American Water Works Association estimates that only thirty percent of all leaks ever show visual signs at the surface level. Of course, these estimates vary greatly depending on the age, depth and condition of water pipes, associated hydrogeologic conditions, and subsurface saturation levels.

Having recently purchased acoustic leak detection equipment, Citrus County is committed to inspecting all its systems on a regular basis. The next focus of the Leak Detection Program is the Citrus Springs / Pine Ridge service area.