The Town of Westlock is banking on an $80,000 water distribution leak detection system to curtail the $270,000-plus it spent this year on water that never made it to residents’ taps. In 2021, the town lost 20 per cent of all the potable water it paid for from the regional water commission — $276,270 that, in essence, flowed into the ground. In a Dec. 20 interview, CAO Simone Wiley said the 20 per cent figure is an overall number, which counts everything from line leaks and breaks, to fighting fires and flushing hydrants — any water that isn’t metered. For example, the loss percentage spiked at 27.9 in January 2021 due to a handful of water main breaks and the massive Commerce Building fire, but sat at only 15 per cent in July.