NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News Waterworks is currently dealing with 160 active leaks, and it could be up to six months for them to be repaired.
Director Yann Le Gouellec tells News 3 they prioritize the leaks between emergency and non-emergency. The majority of the current leaks are considered low priority.
He said staffing shortages have the work backlogged.
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“Typically we would have six to seven full crews, that’s what it was maybe 10 or 15 years ago, nowadays it’s really more like three and a half, four crews because it’s very difficult to hire equipment operators,” said Le Gouellec.
He says the industry standard is 15 leaks per 100 miles of pipe, and Newport News Waterworks has around 11-12. Le Gouellec says with the age of the system, leaks are bound to happen.
“There are sections of the system that are more than 100 years old, and some that are 50 years old, because we’ve been around more than 100 years,” said Le Gouellec.
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He says they reinvest in infrastructure every year via the rate payers.
“It seems like most people know about turning on the tap but not necessarily how much it takes to run a system,” said Le Gouellec.
To run a system, Newport News Waterworks needs more people. They're hiring for dozens of open positions, which are mainly equipment operators.
“We have good jobs, we have good salaries, we have entry jobs that are competitive,” said Le Gouellec.
If you're interested in applying, click here to get information on salary, hours, and benefits.
