800-Gallon-Per-Day Home Leak Baffles NJ Couple, Utilities

For almost a year, 2.5 gallons of water has flowed into a New Jersey couple’s home every 50 seconds. And despite their best efforts, neither they nor local utilities can figure out why.

The issues began in 2014, when the Garcias’ sump pump failed and their basement flooded with a few inches of water. They fixed the pump, but then water started flooding into their yard. They contacted New Jersey American Water (NJAW) and several pipes at a nearby condo development were fixed, but the flooding continued.

After the problem briefly subsided but reemerged last year, bringing 800 gallons of water in every day, NJAW did some more research and concluded the issue was not within its jurisdiction.

“After checking sensors American Water set up at the water mains, [a NJAW rep] could not find evidence of water leaking from pipes,” Gerard Garcia told NJ.com. “He felt it was no longer an American Water issue.”

They then turned to the New Jersey Bureau of Public Utilities, which conducted water testing and found low levels of orthophosphate, a substance used during water treatment to inhibit pipe corrosion. The bureau said that if the water was coming from NJAW’s pipes, the orthophosphate levels would have been higher, and that there was nothing more it could do.

To complement the bureau’s investigation, Garcia had his own testing done and found potentially disparate results.

“Garcia also had the water tested himself, and it came back ‘probable’ that it’s not treated water, meaning it may not be coming from an NJAW pipe,” per NJ.com. “The testing company suggested it could be from a broken drain pipe because the flow doesn’t change with the weather — rain, snow or dry conditions.”

As the Garcias continue to struggle with the leak, without an answer in sight, they have asked the local city council to conduct dye-tracing testing, which may offer some additional insight as to where the water is coming from. Their current theory is that the water is coming from a mix of sources — explaining the varying test results — and that it all finds its way to their house through an unidentified channel.

“They believe the previous leaks [at the nearby condo development] created an underground channel that leads to their home and now ground water, drainage water and other run off finds that path of least resistance,” CBS New York reported. “The couple is currently working with several waterproofing companies to find a solution.”

To read more about how utilities address pipe issues, visit Water Online’s Water Loss Prevention Solutions Center.