4-million gallon water leak at Maumelle High School fixed

The PCSSD discovered an expensive water leak at Maumelle's new high school after Maumelle Water Management saw a strange meter reading.

The monthly bill went from about one-thousand dollars to $24,000.

Maumelle High School can only water its grass and trees once a week just like everyone else in the City of Maumelle right now because of the water shortage. But, when meter readers lifted the meter lid last month, they found a problem. The high school went from using 200,000 gallons of water in a month to four-million.

The three irrigation system leaks at the new Maumelle High School are now fixed by the subcontractor. If the water company hadn't caught the problem before locking the meter and reporting it to the district, the bill could've climbed even higher.

"Truly, it could have been much worse. Because if we hadn't had the water shut off, there would've been no reason for the water department to call us," says Deb Roush with PCSSD.

So will taxpayers have to pay for a faulty new sprinkler system?

"Typically, when we've had problems with our irrigation systems in the past, what we've done, is proven and reached out to the water department, let them know it's been because of a leak and we're able to document it and because of that they usually adjust our bill," says Roush. "Right now, we are watering once a week and it does make us a little bit nervous because this is a new property. We have small trees."

If any of the trees do end up dying, the district tells FOX16 it will have to foot the bill to replace them.

"It's still relatively green here. We have been lucky to have some rain in addition to being able to water on our quote unquote trash day, so we're just hopeful for more rain and that the wells will come online soon," says Roush.

FOX16 called Maumelle Water Management Tuesday and found out police still haven't arrested anyone for the vandalism at Well 12. Someone cut wires on that well causing delays in getting the water company back up to capacity.

Wen the water company shut off the water at Maumelle High, the district could see where the puddles formed, and that's how the construction company knew where to find the leaks.