Dover tries to find million-gallon water leak

DOVER, N.H. -
Crews in Dover are trying to track down a leak in the city's water system that has resulted in the loss of about 1 million gallons of water each day.

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Officials said that almost one-third of the city's water production is leaking away, presumably from a broken pipe, but despite state-of-the-art computer programs and listening devices on fire hydrants, the source of the leak hasn’t been found.

The listening devices record in 15-minute increments starting at 2 a.m., when most people are asleep and the pipes should be quiet. If the sound of rushing water is recorded, it could lead investigators to a leaky pipe.

Officials said 30 million gallons of water was lost in May. The city uses ground water collected at eight pump houses and then sent to a treatment center before being piped into homes and businesses.

The underground labyrinth of pipes is old. A 10-inch main that was just replaced dated back to the 1800s.

"It's nonrevenue water that we're losing, so we'd like to save that water to sell to the residents in the future," Public Works Superintendent Bill Boulanger said.

The city said the water pressure hasn't been affected and neither have residents' bills. Officials said that if the problem isn't solved soon, they may have to enforce water restrictions later this summer.

http://m.wmur.com/news/dover-tries-t...-leak/33361172


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