Water Use Up, Water Loss Down in West Cape May

WEST CAPE MAY — After examining water meter records for the third quarter of this year, West Cape May Taxpayers Association member Kathy Gallagher told Borough Commissioners Wed.. Oct. 27, the figures show the highest water consumption ever on record for the borough but show a drop of unexplained water loss.
The borough hired Eden Water Resource Recovery to discover the cause of loss of 121 million gallons of water from 2003 to 2009 valued at $695,000. West Cape May buys its water from Cape May.
“Our usage is up by 2.9 million (gallons) over any other quarter in the documented years we’ve presented which is 2000 to 2010,” said Gallagher.
She said total bulk water use is up 12 percent from all other quarters but the loss from the water system is down 2.7 million gallons. Metered usage in West Cape May totaled 16 million gallons for the third quarter of 2010.
“I understand that the contractors definitely found something, I also understand it cannot be shared with us,” she said.
Gallagher noted two properties had catastrophic leaks, one on Broadway and another on Sunset Boulevard and asked Mayor Pamela Kaithern how the borough treated such events.
Kaithern said the borough’s water superintendent examined water bills looking for higher than normal use. She said the borough requires verification from a plumber that the leak has been repaired.
The water superintendent looks at meter readings for the property for the same quarter dating back over three years and comes up with an average. The mayor said the difference between the catastrophic leak and the normal average use is calculated.
Gallagher said a property on Broadway had a leak of about 47,000 gallons. Deputy Mayor Peter Burke said the leak was under the house and invisible.
Water loss for borough in the third quarter was down to 7 million gallons, said Gallagher. She asked commissioners if they could provide an explanation for the decreased water loss.
Burke said he did not believe anything was found that would have caused a difference in water loss. He said no adjustments or corrections have been undertaken by any professionals.
Kaithern said the borough was still in discussions with the City of Cape May which owns the water system. She said there was nothing new to report and the borough was still trying to determine the cause of the water loss.
Kaithern said following a phone conference with Eden Water Resources and borough water and public works officials, a “communication was sent to Cape May.”
Commissioner Ramsey Geyer asked what the borough was awaiting from Cape May.
“We’re waiting for the response to the communication that was sent, which you have had access to,” said Kaithern.
Geyer asked to talk to the other commissioners in closed session on the topic.
Last month, Andrew Kricun of Eden Water Resource Recovery told borough commissioners and residents he had looked at water records from the last five years determining about a 17 million gallon per year disparity in West Cape May. Problems could exist with the meter measuring water entering West Cape May from Cape May or meters measuring water continuing along a water main to Cape May Point and back to a portion of Cape May, said Kricun.
There could be a problem with Cape May’s meters, water loss within the Cape May transmission system, water loss within the West Cape May distribution system, errors in the meters at homes in the borough or unbilled water use, he said