The Town of Hamlet is looking to keep better track of its water. Water and Street Superintendent Fred Rowe told the town council Wednesday that roughly 50 water meters are still missing, broken, or otherwise not functioning properly.
On top of that, he said the state is urging the town to account for any lost water. “There’s the fair that doesn’t get metered and there’s the fire department that was never metered, down here,” Rowe said. “Every time there’s a fire, we have no record of how much water the fire department uses during a fire or during fire practices. Fire practices use a lot of water sometimes, if they’re using the cannons and stuff like that.” He says the fire department will be encouraged to help the town estimate their water usage from now on.
The discussion of lost water began when it was learned that some tenants of a local property owner had inadvertently been getting town water free of charge. The situation apparently continued for several years, until one of the renters, who also happens to work for Hamlet’s Water and Street Department, pointed out the problem a few months ago.
