YOUNGSTOWN - Old equipment is to blame for significant water loss in the city of Youngstown. The Ohio EPA recently issued a violation to the city after an inspection found 41% of the drinking water is lost in the facilities and during distribution. The EPA considers water loss beyond 15% as excessive. 

Youngstown Water Commissioner Harry Johnson said they knew about the loss and are already in a plan to fix the issue. 

One reason the water loss is happening is due to leaks in the system. Johnson said those leaks are bound to happen because of their older system. The other causes of the loss are water meters not functioning properly and not recording all water usage.

Some of the meters in the city are well past their life span of 15 years. The older meters can’t keep up and are reading water flow slower than they should. The city is actively replacing all water meters to correct the issue. About 85 % of meters have been replaced and they expect all to be done by next year.

Once the old meters are replaced customers might see an increase in their bill but Johnson said that's because the meters are now reading accurately. 

The Ohio EPA is requiring the city to respond to the violation notice in 30 days with a plan to fix the water loss or details on what they have already done. Johnson said they plan to notify the EPA that the corrections are already happening. If the city does not respond it could result in a fine.

The full notice from the EPA can be found here: