■ Brad Kilger says he ‘cringed’ at report of lost gallons in Benicia; fingers point to under-reporting by water meters
A recent report that indicated Benicia is losing a quarter of its water before it gets to customers is not accurate, City Manager Brad Kilger told the City Council on Tuesday after a resident said he was troubled by the information.
A published report indicated that in 2010, Benicia told the state it lost 25.7 percent of its treated water, and that the Bay Area leaks enough water each year to cover Manhattan by 5 feet, or supply 71,000 families with their annual needs.
Jon Van Landschoot, speaking to the Council as a resident instead of an official with California’s state parks or as a member of the Historic Preservation Review Commission, called the reported water loss “an alarming issue.”
By comparison, he said, Hayward lost 15.8 percent and Contra Costa County’s district lost 14.7 percent. “We’re losing 23 billion gallons a year,” Van Landschoot said.
Kilger said, “I cringed when I saw the article.”
He said that 25 percent of the water is “unaccounted for,” but not necessarily lost. “We believe it’s outdated meters.”
Kilger explained that many of the city’s water customers have old meters, though he added that its outdated piping also needs to be replaced.
“Number one, we are not losing 25 percent,” he reiterated. “We need to do better accounting. We are doing leak detection, and we need to replace the meters.”
Interim Public Works Director Steve Salomon said of the meters, “a majority are under-reporting and need to be replaced.”
He based that on a sample test of meters, saying that all of those tested were under-reporting water use and weren’t meeting appropriate standards.
But replacing meters isn’t cheap, he said.
“It would cost $3 to $4 million to do this,” he said. However, increased billing based on more accurate recording of water use could help the city pay back that investment “relatively fast.”
Mayor Elizabeth Patterson praised Van Landschoot for bringing the matter to the Council’s attention.
“We embrace your concern. It makes us good water conservationists,” she said.