The City of Marquette Water Department takes great pride in providing residents with clean and safe drinking water at affordable rates.  Part of this pride comes from quickly restoring service when there is a system failure.  When there is a known system failure, leak detection equipment can reduce the time it takes to accurately locate a leak and begin the repair.  By accurately locating the failure, the size of the repair can also be minimized.

This type of equipment can also be used to locate previously unknown leaks.  Part of the water system survey we complete with EGLE on the City water system covers water loss and unaccounted water.  The complete meter changeout was very successful in making sure we were accounting for the water we produce by accurately metering the water.  The leak detection equipment will be used in the summer to identify where the water system is losing water through leaks.  We expect the same level of success in identifying water loss.

Annually the Water Distribution Department makes upwards of two dozen repairs requiring excavation down to the utility in order to repair.  While every repair is different, staff conservatively estimate the return on investment (ROI) for this equipment to be less than five years through minimizing staff time, resources, and restoration costs.  If we actively identify unknown leaks the ROI time will be shorter.  With proper care the equipment is expected to last 10-20 years.  

The Water Distribution Department recommends the purchase of a LeakFinder-ST and a Fisher FP-ID 2100 Ferro-Magnetic Locator from Batco, Inc. based upon an objective review of the equipment required, peer review from other water operators, consultation with other municipalities and finding the equipment to be accurate and user-friendly after using the equipment.  As with most specialized equipment, a particular product can only be purchased from one regional vendor and there is no financial advantage to utilizing a competitive bidding process.