DISAPPEARING DRINKING WATER IN KITCHENER

Good for you Councillor Gazzola. Once again he is asking the tough questions and once again the bureaucrats and possibly even regional politicians will be wiggling on the hook. To date however it doesn't look as if they are being completely forthcoming. Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story "Where did the water go?". Some of the more novel excuses include water "losses" due to fighting fires. Hoo now that's a good one. Perhaps a little better accounting is required if you lump the use of firefighting water in with 10% of your water going "missing".

The more expected answers deal with aging pipes, leaks and even ruptures due to frozen pipes. It still doesn't quite add up so let me volunteer one more attempt at an answer. "Kitchener Utilities buys water from the Region of Waterloo and then bills customers.". So far so good. Does Kitchener Utilities personally measure the incoming water? Is there a metre which leaves each and every Regional wellfield in Kitchener that measures the number of cubic metres of water going into the Kitchener Distribution system? Or on the other hand have the Region got the metre set up to measure each and every gallon/cubic metre of water pumped out of the ground and then bill Kitchener accordingly? These are possibly two vastly different numbers. Naturally the Region wish to cover all their costs and literally every gallon pumped has an electricity cost, maintenance cost and depreciation cost for pumps, pipes and electrical systems. Is it conceivable that Kitchener consumers are paying 100% costs for all water pumped including water from what are known as purge wells? The Region as part of their water management system have various purge wells that pump and discharge contaminated water in order to protect nearby drinking wells. Could wells that have been taken off-line for several years such as the Lancaster St. wells possibly be still pumping, but to waste, instead of into the system? I don't know how that water is accounted for but a well by well examination might shed some light on Ktchener's disappearing water.