AUBURN -- The city has to commit to consistent water detection to keep the budget from springing leaks, officials said on Thursday.

Auburn City Council heard Water Filtration Plant chief operator Anthony DeCaro's update on the city's effort to patch leaks in the water infrastructure and track used but previously unmetered processed water.

"The take-home message is the program never ends," DeCaro said.

Last spring, the city began to look at the amount of treated water it was losing while it traveled through the system.

A recently analysis states the city had 75 leaks, but workers have since repaired more than 40. Those leaks and unmetered users caused the Auburn to lose track of nearly 930,000 gallons each day, or 339 million gallons annually.

At the point of delving into the water loss, the city didn't know where nearly 45 percent of its treated water was going. City employees found that figure by looking at billing statements, meter measurements, and city departments' estimated uses.

"The metering didn't jive with the amount of water we were taking through the plant," DeCaro said.

City officials paid New York Leak Detection Inc. $15,200 to identify leaks and system weaknesses throughout the entire city. DeCaro suggested the city continue to hire a company to scour the city every three years.

For more, read Friday's Citizen