The Johnstown village water and sewer department conducted an extensive water-use audit recently and presented those findings to Village Council at the regular June 16 council meeting.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average loss in any water system is 16 percent.
The specific numbers for Johnstown are being revised after a clerical error was noticed, village officials said. Village officials said they are working to compile accurate audit numbers.
The water audit was prompted after a citizen questioned the amount of water loss in the village.
Village officials said the water and sewer department makes a concentrated effort to monitor water usage.
For example, June 11, water and sewer employees noticed an unusually high amount of water consumption.
They began to search within the village for possible leaks, until the high water usage suddenly switched back to normal.
The high water-use issue was discovered within 24 hours and three water and sewer employees were dedicated to finding the source.
Through the village’s investigation, officials were able to determine the owner of Johnstown Skate-N-Swim, 143 Edwards Road, filled the pool using a fire hydrant.
Village officials said the situation was an issue of the business owner not knowing the proper procedure for filling the pool.
Employees spoke with the owner, who used more than 100,000 gallons of water, and set up a payment plan so he can pay for the water.
Debbie Gillum Wakefield 