Croton Falls is losing 20,000 gallons of water per day

The Town of North Salem is currently losing 20,000 gallons of water per day due to an unidentifiable leak impacting the Croton Falls water system. The Town has hired Ground Penetrating Radar Systems (GPRS), an underground investigation service, to survey about two miles of piping to determine the source of the leak.

Town Supervisor Warren Lucas said this is not the first time the Town has experienced problems of this nature. “In the area around the hamlet, the business section, the ground has a lot of sand and the water simply disappears underground and does not come to the surface, so it’s very difficult to find,” Lucas said. “A couple years ago we literally had a leak this size going on for half a year.”

VRI Environmental Services, Inc., the Town’s water utility provider, was in the hamlet Monday looking for any sign of a leak but had not found anything as of midday. GPRS will start their work tomorrow, checking approximately 100 service connections using sophisticated noise amplification equipment to identify general areas with potential leaks.

Lucas said that wells in the hamlet have been keeping up with water supply despite the leakage so far, and have been shutting off every couple of days for short periods in order to conserve supply.

GPRS has indicated that their ability to accurately locate the leak will depend on a variety of factors such as depth, pipe material, soil type, water pressure, and noise interference from traffic and machinery. Any potential leaks will be detailed in a formal report issued to the Town.