The City of Great Bend Utilities Department issued a statement Tuesday morning addressing the growing concern over the multiple water leaks throughout town. 

“We are aware of the amount of water leaking from meter pits,” the statement reads. “These leaks were caused by the normal procedure of changing meters during our water meter upgrades.”

By upgrades, the Utilities Department is referring to the ongoing installation of the automated water meter reading system that beams water usages directly to the Utilities Office. Zenner USA of Banning, Calif., is handling the roughly $2.4 million project.

However, as this issue was anticipated with the work, the city is responsible for the repairs, Public Works Director Jason Cauley said. “It is pretty much unavoidable.”

The leaks are issues stemming from the plumbing that hold the water meters in place or the valves that turn the meter off and on, the statement notes. 

“If the water is leaking on the outflow side of our plumbing, that water will be taken into account and will not affect your bill,” the statement reads. “All these leaks have been placed on a list and we are planning to begin next week to attack the issue depending on unforeseen circumstances. 

“We apologize for not being able to resolve the issues sooner as our crews continue to work long hours to attend to water main breaks,” the statement notes. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank you for your patience.”

Anyone with further concerns or issues, can contact Utilities at 620-793-4170 or the Front Door Building at 620-793-4100.

Those with questions can also contact Cauley at 620-793-4150 or jcauley@greatbendks.net.