The Richmond City Council took steps last week to replace water lines that have long plagued the city with leaks and breaks. During the council’s July 26 meeting at City Hall, Taylor Jergens of Olsson summarized results of the acoustic water leak investigation study conducted in April by WaterNet. WaterNet’s investigation used special sound equipment to pinpoint the location and size of as many leaks as possible throughout the city’s water transmission and distribution system. In April, the investigation identified 36 leaks throughout the system. The leaks were primarily from main lines, service lines, hydrants and valves. WaterNet couldn’t determine the source of three leaks. Hydrants and service lines had the most leaks, but the source with the highest estimated water loss was in main lines, according to the report. The study showed that average water loss in Richmond over the past 10 years has been 45%, increasing steadily to its current rate, 52%. This means that more than half…