The Town of Lincoln Ontario has received a national recognition award for its Water Loss Reduction Program from the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA). The Town was presented with the 2024 CAMA Environmental Leadership & Sustainability Award, in the 20,001 to 100,000 population category, during the Awards of Excellence Ceremony held on June 5, 2024.
The Town’s comprehensive Water Loss Reduction Program addresses challenges related to increasing water loss, aging pipes, and the need to replace existing water meter infrastructure.
“We are extremely proud of this national recognition as a resounding endorsement of the Town of Lincoln’s leadership in innovative and sustainable water management practices,” said Town of Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton. “Our Water Loss Reduction Program showcases the Town’s exceptional and unparalleled commitment to safeguarding community health and ensuring the efficient use of our precious water resources.”
“The Water Loss Reduction Program has had a substantial impact for the Lincoln community and is a model for other municipalities,” said Town of Lincoln CAO Michael Kirkopoulos. “This prestigious award recognizes our achievements in reducing overall water loss and exemplifies excellence in water management and customer service.”
Aligned with the Town’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability, the program exemplifies dedication to preserving water resources and promoting resilient infrastructure to benefit the community and environment.
The program is comprised of two initiatives:
- Real Time Monitoring for Leaks, Pressure, and Temperatures (public). and
- Water Meter Replacement with Advanced Metering Infrastructure – AMI (private).
Real Time Monitoring uses hydrant.AI to identify leaks proactively, enhancing system operation. The Meter Replacement and AMI offers real-time meter reads, improving customer service.
Despite COVID-19 lockdowns, the Town successfully has reduced water loss from 15% to under 9%, optimizing efficiency and reducing Leak Abatement Program requests.
Overall, the program demonstrated a sustainable impact through tangible results, operational efficiencies, technological advancements, community engagement, and contributions to broader environmental goals.
As part of this program, the Town worked closely with Digital Water Solutions Inc., Diameter Services and Neptune Technology Group (Canada) Ltd.
Engaging associations like the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Ontario Greenbelt, and Ontario Water Works Association, the Town encourages other municipalities to adopt similar sustainable practices, sharing knowledge for positive change.
“CAMA is pleased to recognize Lincoln for the municipal excellence demonstrated its water loss reduction program,” said Tony Kulbisky, CAMA President, CAMA Representative for Alberta and CAO for Westlock County, AB. “They tackled a problem faced by other municipalities in an environmentally sustainable way.”
A total of 45 submissions were received for this year’s awards program. To find out more about the Town of Lincoln’s award, as well as the other 2024 CAMA Awards of Excellence winners, visit www.camacam.ca/awards and look for the award recipients’ link.
You can watch the video that was presented at the Awards Ceremony to recognize the Town of Lincoln’s water loss reduction program.
