LCA’s leak response team is always ready to go
February 14, 2013If there’s one thing that keeps us awake at night, it’s the thought of leaking pipes. Water main leaks can lead to service outages and wasted water; sewer line leaks can lead to contamination. Both scenarios lead to nightmares for LCA and our customers.
To address either possibility, we’ve assembled a dedicated leak-response vehicle that can be quickly deployed with a field crew to tackle problems as quickly as possible.
What does this mean for you? Better service and a low average customer outage time during a leak repair. If you look at the accompanying graphic, you’ll see that service interruptions are few and far between. LCA’s water service interruptions are measured in minutes and compared to total minutes of service provided. As the chart shows, our performance far exceeds our service reliability benchmark of 99.995%, which would equate to 26 minutes of service outage per customer per year.
We also routinely monitor and maintain our wastewater collection system for optimum performance.
We use an in-pipe closed-circuit television (CCTV) inspection system to document system condition and prioritize rehabilitation projects. About 33 percent of our collector systems undergo such evaluation each year. Rehabilitation projects initiated as a result of this work have included cured-in-place structural lining, cured-in-place point repairs, mechanical leak repairs, service line leak repairs, slip-lining projects, and manhole rehabilitation projects.
Finally, we employ preventative maintenance and inspections to extend the useful life of all water and wastewater system facilities. LCA’s program includes a variety of asset types including fire hydrants, valves, disinfection systems, well stations, pump stations, sewer meter stations, storage tanks, and more.
While leak response (and prevention) are just parts of the equation, the sum total is better service for our customers — and more restful nights for us!